A Curse of Beauty
by SkinnyCanuck
Summary: AU: Trying to get back to the original tale. Belle is a girl who dreams of heroic adventures and romance like in her books, but she soon realizes that life isn't always happily ever after.Warning: some mature content ahead, so please be Advised! p.s. I MAY segway back to the original OUAT storyline but I havent decided how...
1. the dark figure at the Ball

**Disclaimer: TRIGGER WARNING. alright, just so everyone is aware, there is a very dark scene at the end of this chapter (I have marked the place) that deals with depictions of non/con and attempted rape. I tried not to make it too graphic, but just be aware. I will place a disclaimer at the beginnings of chapters that may have other scenes of similar violence. I hope you enjoy!**

Her breath could be seen in the air as she silently ran through the thick of the woods. Panting, she pushed the branches of nearby trees out of her path, quickly side stepping any jagged rocks or tree roots as she sprinted toward her goal. The nighttime creatures made their noise as she forced her way through more of the bushes and oak trees that blocked her path. Just the owls sounding, the crunching of branches under her foot and her heavy breathing filled the night.

Finally coming to a clearing, Belle made a sudden stop in her tracks, looking onward to her destination. The clouds pulled back to reveal a bright full moon through the opening of the trees and illuminated her father's Manor, allowing Belle to finally see a clear path back home. Ducking back to follow the tree line, Belle kept an eye out for any guards that may be keeping watch over the grounds of the manor.

Escaping into the kitchen gardens Belle silently slipped through the glass doors leading to the solarium on the side of her father's home. Straining her ears for any sound of servants that may still be awake, Belle silently moved toward the doors leading from the Solarium into the servants' quarters. Quietly Belle shut the door behind her and looked around. The servants' hall was dark, but down the hall to her right she could see a flicker of light and hear soft voices laughing. Biting her lip and keeping her eyes on the light, Belle headed the opposite way toward the darkness of the hall, inching along with her left hand tracing along the wall while quickly following the curve of the hall leading toward the doorway to the back stairwell.

A sound of a door opening made Belle's eyes go wide, a small gasp escaping her lips and she quickly ducked into an empty room just before the stairwell. Belle stealthily held the door closed, though not all the way so she could still see into the hallway. Hearing whispers, Belle quickly backed away from the door, fearing she will be caught and she willed her heart to pound just a bit quieter as she waited for the all clear.

With a faint smile, Belle closed her eyes to better remember the events of her night; the soft glow of the orange fire on his face, his green eyes sparkling while he smiled slightly, bending near to place a shy kiss on her cheek. Yes she was in love and it was exactly as she had imagined it. Sighing Belle leaned back against the door, almost closing it shut. It happened all so quickly, how fast she fell in love with Adam, but she wasn't surprised, it was just as her books had said, and she felt like she could burst with joy. But telling her father that she fell for the son of the local baker was not going to be an easy task, considering his high ranking as Lord of the Marshlands.

Finally sensing that the coast was clear, Belle slipped back out into the darkened hall, bouncing up the back stairs, two at a time until she reached the second floor. Belle quickly scanned the area before running down the red carpeted hallway that lead to the family quarters of the Manor, skidding around the corner and holding onto the dark wood banister to steady herself before she clumsily crashed into something and giving away her position.

Belle raced toward her room, swinging open her bedroom door and just as quickly shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief, yet another successful night of sleuthing.

"And where have you been my dearest daughter?"

Belle's eyes shot open and she gasped as she made eye contact with her father sitting comfortably on the chair by her fireplace - she didn't even notice him when she ran into her room. Belle let out a defeated sigh and looked up through her lashes as her father, giving the old man a little smile and hoping to hide the shame and guilt and coerce him into sudden forgiveness, if such thing was needed.

Maurice only smirked at Belle, shaking his head, knowing her game.

"You cannot flutter your eyes at me and expect me to melt. I have become immune; your mother always did the same thing." Lord Maurice stood from his seat, his wide shoulders and tall frame shadowing Belles petite form. A frown formed on his face drawing his eyebrows down, "I was worried Belle, worried sick." His voice was calm, always cool and composed though Belle could always read him like one of her books and the expression on his face told her she should feel guilty.

Biting her lip Belle hung her head in shame. "I'm sorry Papa." She whispered, silently glad Maurice was a gentle soul and not keen to outbursts.

Maurice simply sighed and shook his head at his youngest daughter. With her cheeks rosy from the cold night and her once perfect plait frizzy and unruly, Belle could only imagine what her Father saw. But Maurice finally smiled at his daughter - the spitting image of her late Mother. He was proud of the young woman, how sweet she was, and so unlike her two older sisters in both appearance and personality. His little rose, his Belle. Shaking his head in defeat, Maurice simply Belle within his large arms and with a smile and a laugh Belle kissed her father's cheek.

"It won't happen again I promise. I hate to make you worry, really."

Maurice looked down at Belle with a stern look, "This is the fifth time you've snuck out in the middle of the night," Maurice raised a hand to settle any words that may have attempted to escape Belle's open mouth and her shock at being found out died right there upon her lips.

"You're not as stealthy as you think you are little rose. I am the Master of this house and nothing escapes my knowledge. Now, why Belle? Where do you go off to?" Maurice watched his daughters face carefully as her mouth opened then shut again, as if thinking about what to say to her Father.

"I-I just…" suddenly Belles nerves went out, she couldn't tell him, not tonight. Though she had promised Adam she would she just didn't have the courage to do it, not yet, not now.

"I found this tree, by a lake. It's the best place to read, I like to go there and think sometimes" Belle winced at the terrible lie she told her father. But Maurice, sensing Belle's reluctance to share her comings and goings, didn't push any further and only nodded in mild amusement.

"Perhaps in the morning over breakfast you could, elaborate about your new reading spot. That you go to. In the darkness. To read." Maurice gently planted a kiss on top of his daughters head and headed out the door. "To bed little beauty, no more reading by the moonlight", and smiling he closed the door behind him.

Belle sighed and hung her head in shame. She hated lying to her Father; tomorrow morning would be the day. Belle nodded her head in agreement with her thoughts as she stripped off her muslin dress and slinked on her nightgown. The morning will be the perfect time to finally tell her father about her true love.

XxXxX

All confidence Belle might have felt before dozing off to sleep vanished with the night, and she sat at the breakfast table quietly eating her porridge as her two sisters babbled on and on about what dresses they would wear to the upcoming Ball and what young gentlemen they may meet there. Maurice silently ate his meal as well, smiling fondly at his girls talking animatedly, every so often stealing a glance at his youngest, who appeared to be trying to disappear into her seat.

The eldest, Josette twirled a lock of golden hair around her finger as she thought hard about which of her new dresses she would most prefer to wear.

"The light blue would go with my eyes of course, but then the Ball will occur at night so maybe I should go with the darker blue. Edward does dote upon me; he brought back four different necklaces, all matching the sapphire of my ring." Josette smiled and stretched out her hand, dangling her enormous engagement ring under her middle sister's nose. Rosalind rolled her eyes at the gesture, quietly greening with envy. Rosalind was tall like her father with fair hair and light blue eyes which darkened at her oldest sister with distaste.

"I don't see why you should really care about what you look like anyway sister dear, you're already engaged, no need to primp yourself up like a silly peacock." Rosalind spat smoothing out her pink skirts and ignoring Josette's massive eye roll.

Maurice took this break in the conversation to change the subject from pretty dresses to Belles mystery.

"So Belle, tell me about this tree you found." He smiled cunningly at his youngest. Josette and Rosalind glanced at their sister.

"Tree?" Josette snorted, "is that what you told Father you were doing?"

Rosalind attempted to fight the smile creeping on her face as she dipped her spoon languidly into her bowl of porridge.

Maurice folded his hands on the table looking from his two fair haired eldest daughters, sucking his teeth and smiling. "Ah I see I am the last one to know. Well please Belle; bring me in on your little secret."

Belle glared at her two sisters as they both silently settled into their cold porridge, not daring to make eye contact. Sighing Belle straightened up in her chair, her face reddening in embarrassment. Glancing at her Father she knew now was the time. Belle opened her mouth to speak when suddenly the door opened and in strolled Edward with a wide smile on his face and boxes under his arms, his dark hair shining in the morning light. Josette burst into her loveliest smile and squealed with delight, as Edward placed the packages on the floor at her feet, Rosalind wincing from the high pitch of her sisters voice.

Clamping a hand on his future father in laws shoulder, Edward smiled at each sister and greeted the room.

"I hope everyone had a splendid evening last night before I left, nothing too interesting happened between dinner and now did it?" Edward lounged on the seat across from Belle and next to his future wife who was already onto package number three, Rosalind jealously fingering the Sapphire broach that was hastily placed on the middle of the table.

"Oh Edward, it's just beautiful!" Josette squealed "And you got that hat I so wanted!" immediately Josette jumped out of her seat and ran over to the mirror hanging over the Credenza between the doors leading out to the terrace. Belle slouched back into her chair with a sudden relief which flowed over her at the distraction while Edward was at once engaging his future father in law with talk of his travels to the North Kingdoms.

Belle slipped out of the dining room and headed toward the library, a worried frown spreading across her face. Maybe it wasn't meant to be; maybe it was best she didn't tell her father about Adam. Sighing, Belle crossed her father's library toward her usual window seat, and finding the book she had abandoned the previous day.

She knew her father would find out soon what she had been up to, but she just was not prepared to face him just yet. She closed her eyes, praying for the courage to speak up, before finally diving into the worlds presented within her book, stories of adventure and thrilling escapades. Belle reminisced over her meeting with Adam again, a flush rising in her cheeks, still feeling his warm hand upon hers. She could hear his nervous boyish chuckle and see his sandy hair and green eyes in her mind. She had to tell her father, she just had to.

XxXxX

Time flew by as Belle finished her first book and moved onto the next book, this time about princes and damsels in distress. She smiled as she imagined the thrill she experienced sneaking out of her father's house, to meet with her crush. Belle never had many friends, preferring to stay inside reading, and dreaming of far off places and dashing princes. Adam was a quiet boy, reminding her of her Father. He would never be a Duke like Edward, or even have much money to his name, but she hoped his gentleness would ease her father's mind. She had decided right away that Adam was the one - not that she had really took the effort to meet anyone else what with her nose stuck in books all the time, but she was sure he was the one.

Belle's mind floated aimlessly out the bay window and flew over the gardens of her father's house. She watched the gardeners working and let her imagination drift away over the mist of the day, imagining she was a bird flying free, adventuring to the north and to the south. She sighed dreamily resting her head on the cold perspiring glass and tried to imagine what it would be like to fight with a dragon...

Maurice cleared his throat jostling Belle from her daydream and she looked at him with wide eyes and then smiled faintly, a trace of dimple in her left cheek. He motioned for Belle to join him on the couch that sat facing the oak fireplace. Belle gingerly stepped out of her seat at the window and cuddled next to her father, like she used to do when she was still a small child. Maurice sighed and looked down at his daughter.

"Where do you go at night Belle? Should I be worried, because I am."

Belle sighed and straightened up facing the fire, her Fathers profile in her periphery, she knew she should be looking him in the eye at that moment but all her courage was needed into getting through her confession. Taking a deep breath she launched into the speech she had planned, praying she sounded strong and confident.

"Papa" she started "Papa I met him, I met the one, and I-I'm in love." She stole a glance at her father, holding her breath and tensing her shoulders. Maurice only frowned at his daughter.

"A boy?" he raised his eyebrows "You sneak out, to see a boy? Alone?" suddenly he looked uneasy.

Belle's brow furrowed, this was not going as she had imagined and she began to fidget with her gown. "No, it's not like that…" she started but Maurice tightened his mouth in a tight line silencing her right away.

"Who is he? Where did you meet him?" his voice began to rise to new levels making Belle's heart race, " What sort of gentleman meets with a young girl at night alone without a chaperon?" his face was red now as he began to pace the floor before her. Belle's mouth slacked open trying to find the words but she suddenly felt what little confidence she had dwindle with every heavy step from her Father.

"This is inappropriate Belle. Very inappropriate, do you know what would happen if people found out?" He cried, waving his arms about to emphasize his point.

"Nothing happened Father, I promise, we just talk, and-and hold hands, that's all! There's nothing inappropriate about it." Bell stammered but her father was shaking his head.

"It is unacceptable. Who is he, do I know him?"

Belle's voice was small when she spoke, her eyes studying the rug below her feet.

"Adam, his father is the baker; he lives in the village…"

Maurice stopped dead in his tracks with anger in his eyes and without a word he stalked out of the room. Belle quickly got up off the couch and raced after her father, pleading for him to listen, to understand.

Maurice moved down the stairwell to the servants' quarters, entering just in time as Adam, the baker's son was delivering bread for his father. Upon seeing Maurice's stern look, the young man paled.

"You!" Maurice cried pointing his large finger at the boy and startling the help "You are never to deliver here again, do you hear me." Maurice's face was red; anger was not an emotion he felt on a regular basis.

"Stay away from my daughter!" and with that Adam quickly nodded and ran out of the kitchen, the kitchen staff standing stark still watching their employer huff and puff. Turning on his heel, Maurice found Belle, standing in the entrance way with tears in her eyes and he stood for a moment collecting his heavy breath.

"Papa…" Belle sobbed, but it fell to deaf ears and Maurice quickly brushed passed his daughter, leaving Belle standing humiliated in the Kitchen.

XxXxX

Both Maurice and Belle were silent at the dinner table that night. Josette, Rosalind and now Edward all still talking about the upcoming Ball, this time the focus on who was to be expected, though neither Belle nor Maurice were paying too much attention.

"Do you think Jonathan will be there?" Edward was saying, stabbing at a piece of broccoli and shoving it in his mouth, "What with his Mother being ill, I do hope he will be able to make it, he so looks forward to meeting you Rosie" Edward winked at his future sister in law Rosalind, whose swanlike neck became dotted with crimson flush.

Belle aimlessly moved her food around her plate, her mood despondent. If Maurice noticed he didn't make any comment on it. Instead he wiped his mouth and interjected.

"Edward, I do hope to be seeing your brother Gaston at the ball tomorrow night. Such a strapping young man."

Belle looked up at her father, eyes narrowed, knowing full well where this was going.

"Indeed." Edward smiled heartily and then looking at Belle leaned forward "you know he will never stop speaking of you little Belle. The last time he met you he came home absolutely enthralled. Enthralled I say, he has never been more enchanted with a girl, though the girls are more than enchanted with him." Edward laughed heartily, Jossette dreamily laughing alongside him

Belle stared at her future Brother. Gaston Desrosier was certainly dashing and charming; however he was always so conceited and completely dull. Belle had despised his advances, and rolled her eyes at his shallow attempts at flattery. Her father, as she recalled, only laughed and poked fun at Belle after she complained about Gaston, and saying that his little rose was far too good for that empty headed Dukeling. But now, suddenly Maurice decided that Gaston was strapping and interesting.

Belle's fury built up inside her. She closed her eyes as Edward continued to fill the others in with Gaston's hunting achievements, breathing in and out slowly in an attempt to calm down and try not to cry at the table. She glanced at her Father, hoping to show him how hurt she was, but he didn't acknowledge his daughter, and instead smiled and exclaimed how much he looked forward to meeting with the handsome man at the Ball.

XxXxX

Belle absently brushed her dark hair as she sat at her vanity with her eyes were blotchy and wet from crying, not a good look on her she had to admit. She could feel her heart beak whenever she remembered the horrified look on her father's face when she announced her love, or Adam cowering at her father's presence in the kitchen before running out of her life, probably forever. Oh forever did seem like such a long time...

She knew she would never be alone with Adam again; he would never have the courage to fight for her. She sighed and placed the brush on her vanity, her hair was now shiny and soft.

She glanced at the Yellow gown her maid had hung in her closet for the Ball tomorrow night and frowned. She did not look forward to dancing, did not look forward to talking with boring nobles who always said the same things and always did the same things. She especially did not look forward to seeing Gaston, the mindless bore.

Suddenly her life was back where it was, in the same old rhythm as before. Soon Josette will be married, Rosalind will be engaged, and then it will be Belle who everyone will focus on finding a husband for. Belle sighed dramatically and fell onto her bed, staring up at the creamy canopy that hung over her bed. "When will life happen for me?" Belle whispered to her empty room before begrudgingly drifting off to sleep, dreaming of a dark and mysterious stranger, coming to sweep her to a far off place…

XxXxX

The sun shone brightly into Belle's eyes and she groggily awoke to the sounds of her sisters bickering loudly in the rooms adjoining hers. Rubbing her eyes, Belle stumbled over to her vanity mirror and tried to focus on her image as her hand reached for the brush.

Her eyes were puffy from crying the night before and she sighed once more at the reflection of the golden dress hanging on the closet door. In the light she saw tiny golden flecks bounce off the bodice, ever so slightly, it was a pretty dress and at any other time Belle would have enjoyed dressing up. The door to her room flung open and in swept Belles two sisters still talking loudly and opening Belle's wardrobe all the way to scour for shoes.

"Come right on in, make yourself at home to my closet please" Belle said sarcastically more to herself than anyone else.

"Why are you wearing the blue one, we decided that blue was MY colour" Josette cried, and aimlessly tossed Belles shoes out of the closet one pair at a time, Rosalind folded her arms across herself and rolled her eyes toward Belle in an attempt to drag Belle along with her contempt.

"You have four new dresses Josette, I just have the two, and the best one is my blue dress. You should change what YOU'RE wearing."

Rosalind leaned over Belle's shoulder and gently prodded at the non existent wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, "And since when was blue your colour?"

Josette pulled out the silver heels she had been looking for and stood with triumph on her face, which quickly turned to a frown when she stood and glared at Rosalind.

"Fine Rosalind, I will wear my bright green instead, it will show off the necklace Eddy brought me from the Northern Kingdoms anyway. Belle dear, I'm going to be wearing these, alright?" Josette smiled in Belles direction and didn't wait for a response before dancing over to pick up the Gold dress hanging on the door of the wardrobe.

"It's a bit flashy for you don't you think little Belle?" Josette placed the dress in front of her body and stared at the reflection in the full length mirror before deciding that Gold was not her colour. Belle merely frowned at her sister and went back to tackling her mane with harsh strokes.

Josette shared a knowing smile with Rosalind before jumping on Belles unmade bed. "I take it we won't be calling the bakers son Brother anytime soon?" Josette raised an eyebrow at Belle mockingly, Rosalind only giggled, picking up a pink rose that was sitting in the vase on Belles vanity and twirling it between her tapered fingers. Belle's eyes only watered in response and Josette frowned and sat up in the bed. She gracefully crossed the threshold over to where Belle sat and crouched down beside her sister, planting a warm comforting hand on the girls knee like their Mother used to whenever one of the girls was upset.

"Oh Belle, sweet little Belle. He's not the only boy out there you know" Josette murmered, brushing a lock of Belles dark hair away from her eyes.

Rosalind nodded knowingly "He was far below our station anyway, you can do so much better."

Belle dropped her head in her hands in response with tears in her eyes a sob breaking loose, and Josette furrowed her brow and pinched Rosalind in the arm making her suck in her breath in pain.

Josette suddenly perked up. "Gaston will be at the Ball Belle. You know how he adores you, you lucky girl!"

Belle looked at her sisters and pouted. "I don't want him to dote on me, I'm not interested, and I love Adam!"

Josette sighed and stood up, "You will soon get over it Belle. Believe me. And when you do, Gaston will be there to sweep you off your feet." She smoothed out her skirts and glanced at Rosalind, both girls smirking."One look in his handsome face and you will forget the Bakers sons' name."

Belle begrudgingly walked over to the gold dress which was now flung carelessly on the bed as her sisters skipped about the room, continuing their preparations.

Her sisters meant well, however thinking about Gaston made her dread attending the ball now more than ever.

XxXxX

The carriage dropped the sisters and their father off in front of massive front steps of the Manor home of the Duke of Westerly. Servants bowed as they entered though the massive entrance hall, placing their cloaks in the waiting hands of the footmen.

Soon Edward was at Josette's side, first shaking Lord Maurice's hand then taking Josette's arm and steering her toward the ballroom. Maurice held onto the arm of his second child Rosalind and guided her towards the ballroom with Belle following closely behind. The Grand Marshall nodded his head at Maurice before announcing his arrival.

"The Lord Maurice and his daughters Miss French and Miss Belle French."

The three gently walked down the staircase toward the dancing party below, Rosalind's head held high showcasing her best feature as her light blue dress elegantly draped to the floor. Belle tried her best keep her features neutral as she held onto her father's arm, picking up the hem of her Golden gown so she wouldnt trip.

Across the room, Belle spotted the tall, dark and very handsome Gaston Desrosiers flirting shamelessly with a group of women who had congregated around him. Belle had to refrain from rolling her eyes as the girls laughed in unison at something Gaston said.

Quietly Belle followed her Father as he lead Rosalind around the room, obviously showcasing his next available daughter, her smile beaming as she bowed to this duke and that Lord. Belle looked around at the room with curious eyes. The ballroom was exquisitely decorated in white and light soft pink, the chandelier glistening from the ceiling.

Belle became mesmerized by the colourful splashes of colour as people danced around to the music. She was so caught up in her daydream that she failed to notice that Gaston had made his way toward her and her family.

"Lord Maurice! It's good to see you," Gaston bellowed, clapping Maurice on the shoulder, "and Rosalind such a beauty in blue, blue is your colour" Gaston flashed a set of pearly whites at Rosalind as she demurely bowed her head in appreciation, her neck becoming tinged with red. Maurice smiled warmly at Gaston in response.

Gaston soon turned his attentions onto Belle, grabbing her small hand and wetly kissing her knuckles.

"My lady Belle, I've been thinking about you every day since we met" he winked at her and she tried her best not to grimace with disgust. Without a word Gaston held out his arm, expecting Belle to allow him to lead her to the dance floor. With a stern look from Maurice Belle begrudgingly snaked her arm into Gaston's.

Gaston's chest puffed out like a bird as he grasped Belle around her small waist pulling her closer to him and Belle sighed and followed suit as Gaston whirled her around. Every time they passed a mirror, Belle caught Gaston admiring his own reflection, and there were a lot of mirrors in the ballroom.

no sooner had Belle began to feel relieved that she would not be forced to listen to another dulle tale, Gaston launched into a story about hunting wild boar with Prince James, boasting about how he was the one who caught the biggest and Wildest Boar the South has ever seen. Belle smiled weakly at the story, one she heard last time they had met.

"You know Belle; you're a very lucky lady." Belle's mind jumped back to her dance partner, eyeing him quizzically. "It's not every day I see a woman who is on the same level as me. It's so hard finding someone who understands the challenges of being desired so much, you know?" Gaston smiled at her, proud of his supposed complement. Belle again tried her hardest not to roll her eyes. Gaston is after all Edwards brother; best not upset the future in laws, lest dinners become awkward.

_I'm doing this for Josette, think of Josette and Father. _ Belle thought to herself as she wordlessly twirled around the room with Gaston, ignoring the jealous stares from many a lady that night. Praying that the dance would soon be over Belle tuned out Gaston's babbling and was soon focused on the dark figure that she had just noticed standing off to the side, wordlessly staring into the dazzling array of dancers. His face was obscured by the shadows of the terrace curtains which billowed around him, but Belle could feel a strange sizzle in the air each time she glanced his way, the hairs on her skin rising in alarm.

"… We can spend summers at my country house, my latest kill roasting on the fire, the little ones running around while you massage my feet." Belles mind snapped back to Gaston who was grinning down at her. "I was thinking about 5 or 6." Belle blinked, once again looking to where the dark figure had been standing but was now gone, and then back at Gaston.

"What?"

"Kids, I think we should have about 5 or 6. Maybe 7." Gaston winked.

Belle merely stared at Gaston. She suddenly was in no mood to dance.

"Uh, look Gaston, you're really great. And-and very handsome," Gaston tisked in mock humility

"But I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you that way."

Gaston rolled his eyes and laughed "you are too funny Belle, such a great sense of humor, I think I'm more in love with you than I was before." Gaston smiled widely.

"Incredible," Belle exclaimed under her breath as she broke away from Gaston, thankful that the music finally stopped.

"Gaston, I'm not going to marry you." Belle insisted. Gaston's smile never wavered.

"Oh I get it," He winked at Belle "wait until Rosalind is married, I completely understand, don't want big sis to feel left out eh."

Belle looked at Gaston with distaste before shaking her head and spinning around, heading toward the terrace. Gaston blinked at Belle as she left. "Wait, where are you going?"

~8888888888~

Belle let out a long exhale as she finally reached outside. She leaned her head against the cool stone wall of the Mansion and let the cold night air envelope her, relaxing her as she steadily breathed in and out, the sounds of the bustling party drowning out among her deep inhales.

Belle opened her eyes and stared out across the courtyard, the moon high and bright in the sky. She breathed deeply, collecting her senses and trying to calm her mind. The courtyard was completely silent as Belle moved along the wall, admiring the hedge work and the flowerbeds. The night was too quiet even.

The hair on Belles arm suddenly stood up, a sizzling coming through the air. Stepping towards the hedge maze Belle followed her senses to the entrance. Something was off and Belle felt her curiosity taking a hold of her as she moved through the maze.

Taking a right, Belle felt her ears perk up as she continued alert as ever. A left turn lead her past a statue of a goddess, hiding in the hedge and she could almost feel her empty eyes following her in the night.

Belle came to a dead end suddenly and whipped her head to the right; Belle followed her gut and aimed to near the center of the maze. The night was clear and the stars were bright, Belle was grateful for the light of the moon, though not as bright as a full moon. She felt her eyes were quickly adjusting to the dark as she wandered closer and closer to the center. She heard a rustling behind her, which made her spin around. "Hello?" she called out but with no reply. Belle tilted her head down, keeping her right ear in the air listening for any other movement; she let her left shoulder lead her back toward the center of the maze and Belle's breathing became heavier as she felt more and more like she was not alone. She rounded a corner and jumped triumphantly into the center of the maze expecting something or someone to be there. But to Belles disappointment there was only a few benches and a modest sundial in the center of the clearing. Belle placed her fist on her hips and sauntered over to the sundial, flicking at the stone hand in dismay. Belle gave a final glace back up to the stars before deciding to find her way back out of the maze. Suddenly Belle crashed into a wide chest of a person, letting out a cry and tumbling back, clutched her heart which was pounding heavily in her chest.

Gaston was smiling as Belle straightened herself, scowling at him.

"Gaston, what are you doing, you scared me half to death!" Belle's brow furrowed as she huffed out like an angry dragon, white smoke curling out her nostrils from the crisp air.

"I saw you entering this hedge maze. Didn't want you to get lost little Beauty." Gaston wagged his eyebrows knowingly.

Belle sighed loudly and started for the exit but Gaston stopped her, grabbing her wrist.

"Hey, where are you going? I thought you wanted to be alone?"

"Yes Gaston, exactly." Belle attempted to continue but Gaston held onto his grip laughing as Belle struggled against him

"Gaston let me go!" Belle exasperated.

Gaston merely twirled Belle around finally grabbing her waist and pulling her close and laughed when she wiggled under him trying to get free

"Were just getting to know each other, come on Belle…" Gaston leaned in for a kiss but Belle had faster reflexes and ducked out of the way. Gaston merely laughed at the struggle, thinking it a game

"Oh come on Belle, don't play coy, it doesn't suit you. I know what you want, what you're thinking." He dove at her face again, but Belle, finally releasing one arm from his grasp shoved his face away

"Gaston, I'm not being Coy. I am not interested! Now let me go!" Belle only got angrier as Gaston fought her struggle.

Gaston finally grabbed a hold of the back of her head, holding her steady as he smashed his mouth against hers, kissing her furiously, and ignoring her loud screams of protest, instead taking them as cries of pleasure. His grip got tighter on her waste and head as he hungrily smacked her face, trying to force her mouth open to accept his tongue. Finally he broke the barrier of her lips and thrashed his tongue against the inside of her mouth in a sloppy kiss. Without a thought Belle clamped her teeth down onto Gaston's tongue making him cry out in pain, releasing her from his grasp. Belle stumbled away from Gaston, wiping her mouth with disgust, a horrified look on her face.

Gaston reeled back and stared at her, holding his mouth in pain

"You bit me?" he cried, pulling his upper lip back in a snarl, "Fucking Bitch!" he bellowed lunging at Belle. With eyes wide, Belle quickly moved out of his reach ducking down and heading to the exit as fast as she could. Her heart lept up in her chest as she attempted to find her way out of the maze, turning left then right.

Stealing a glance backwards Belle stumbled on her Golden gown and fell face first into the grass. Looking back, she saw Gaston gaining on her, fire in his eyes. Fear jumped into Belles throat as she scrambled to get up, ripping the gold dress. Onward Belle went, trying to get free of the maze, suddenly though she ran into a dead end, her hands feeling the bush before her desperately, whipping back around her heart sinking as she focused on the Tall man bounding toward her, blood on his lips, eyes wild with anger.

Belle froze in place unsure of what to do, her chest heaving as she tried to collect her thoughts. Gaston stalked closer to her and Belle looked to her left before quickly trying to make an exit down the maze before Gaston gained on her. She tried in vain to continue on but Gaston was faster, grabbing at her billowing dress and making her fall forward on her face, her chin skinning the grass.

Tears stung her eyes as the grownd scraped her arms painfully as Gaston grabbed her by the leg and dragged her toward him. Belle thrashed against his hold screaming and hitting, moving anything and anything in an attempt to break free. Soon her arms were held down in place over her head by one of Gaston's massive hands. His other hand smacked Belle in the face as she tried to scream once more, her throat already sore from running in the cold. Keeping her arms pinned Gaston hissed at Belle to shut up as he roughly grabbed her breasts clumsily and bit her shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain. She didn't understand what was happening, her mind a blank with nothing but her heart pounding hard and fast within her chest. Still she thrashed under him as he slid his filthy hands up her dress, grabbing her thigh indelicately and trying to rip at her stockings as she continued to fight him and scream. One more smack in the face left Belle reeling, and Gaston quickly attempting to undo his breeches, his face red with anger.

Only sobs came from Belle now as she tried to continue to fight, her arms becoming tired, her head now pounding. His weight was heavy on her and she could feel her lungs crushing under the pressure, her wrists were sore, blood could be tasted in her mouth and her tears blinded her as he continued to fumble with his pants and heaving her skirts up more so her thigh was now visible.

Suddenly Belle heard a cry and felt the weight come off of her, and she scrambled away, trying to crawl to safety being suddenly free from Gaston's grasp. Belle stole a look towards Gaston and gasped at the sight.

The dark figure fro the Ball had Gaston raised up over its head, his hand clutching tightly around Gaston's neck. Belle could see dark talon like nails and greyish skin on the mans hands. The figure was smaller than Gaston and yet lifted the brute in the air as if he weighed nothing. The creature tossed Gaston backwards onto the ground, and Gaston sputtered as he tried to breath. He attempted to crawl away in vain but the creature was on him again, forcing Gaston upwards on his knees, his back against the creature, the creature's hands holding Gaston's neck.

Belle let out a small cry and the hooded figure looked toward her as if seeing her for the first time. She could feel its eyes on her, burrowing into her face. Then without removing his gaze from Belle the creature quickly jerked his hands, and Belle heard a horrifying snap, Gaston crumbling to the ground lifeless. The creature slowly turned his body to face Belle, but made no quick movements and merely stared at her. Her chest heaved up and down at a quick pace, the lace of her sleeves torn away leaving her shoulder indecently bare, but she couldnt feel the cold, couldnt feel the shame, just the eyes burning into her face.

Letting out a whimper Belle quickly got to her feet, turned around and started running from the creature out of the maze. Looking quickly back she didn't see the creature, maybe he wasn't following her. Tears fearfully welled up in her eyes as she saw the exit and she stumbled out, fearful sobs escaping her lips. Belle collapsed in a heap on the ground once she made it back to the terrace, the party still loud and moving freely. Belles eyes were wild with fear as she tried looking for her father, finally seeing him near the buffet talking to a fellow lord. Maurice's face went white when he saw his Belle, haggard and in tears, with grass stains on her torn dress and her hair mussed and matted. "Belle?!"

~8888888888~

"There's nothing here My Lord." The Guardsmen came out of the entrance of the maze, walking up to Lord Maurice and his shivering daughter. The Guards had searched the entire maze looking for Sir Gaston and the hooded creature Belle described but found not a trace of disturbance. Maurice glanced over towards Belle who stood wrapped in a blanket, Josette and Rosalind rubbing her shoulders.

"No," Belle began, "there has to be something. They were there! I saw it!" Belle pleaded with her father, grabbing onto his arm, large eyes watering as Maurice simply patted Belles hand.

"Well, you're safe now Belle. Perhaps we should be on our way." Maurice looked over to his other daughters, Rosalind looking humiliated, Josette now hugging her fiancé who was staring off into the hedgemaze with a confused look on his face.

Belle didn't tear her eyes off the entrance of the hedge maze as the party departed the area.

She knew what she saw; the evidence was on her torn dress. But suddenly Belle felt unsure of herself – It was real, what she saw was real, wasnt it? Belle kept her mouth shut as they got into the carriage, her sister Rosalind fuming. Last thing she needs is to be locked away in an asylum- she would remain silent, but her mind would still be racing; racing towards the creature, the dark figure at the ball.


	2. A poor mans cottage

"I'm fine Papa." Belle didn't look up from her book but she knew Lord Maurice was watching her from his seat by the fire, worry in his face.

It had been five months since the incident at the ball, and Belle had almost pushed her ordeal to the back of her mind, but she was still watched with a careful eye from her father.

Maurice shifted in his chair, "Of course you are, I know that." Belle couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face. Tossing aside her book she skipped over to where her father was and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I'm _fine _Papa. I was fine yesterday, I am fine today, and I will be fine tomorrow and the next. Trust me, please." Maurice patted her arm and went back to gazing into the fire. Belle held her grip and watched as the orange flames licked around the fireplace, the heat blazing on her skin. Closing her eyes she could still feel the creatures presence, still see the grey skin and dark claws.

Someone at the door of the library cleared their throat causing both Maurice and Belle to look over.

"Sir," their butler Francis started "Mr. Chartrice is here, wishing to speak to you. He is in the study now, should I tell him you will be down?"

Maurice stood quickly and headed toward the door

"Yes yes, I will be right there."

Nodding the butler left the room.

Belle followed her father out of the library. Mr. Chartrice, the manager of Lord Maurice's estate was pacing the study when Belle and her Father entered, wringing his hands together stressfully. The tall blonde man quickly turned when Maurice entered the room and stalked over to shake his hand.

"Chartrice, I wasn't expecting you," Maurice started, Mr. Chartrice cutting him off

"Something terrible has happened sir, I- I need to speak with you alone, please." Mr. Chartrice glanced over at Belle with wide eyes. Maurice motioned for his daughter to leave the room, Belle reluctantly gave her father and Mr. Chartrice a small curtsy before leaving, closing the door behind her.

XxXxX

Belle found her father after left in his study, head in his hands.

"Papa? What's wrong?" She asked in alarm and kneeling before her father. She rubbed his arm and moved his hand away from his face in order to see him more clearly. His skin was white as his hair, hands were sweaty and Belle suddenly felt her stomach flutter with nerves. Lord Maurice was always controlled, always somber and seeing him in an attitude that was none of those things left Belle suddenly lost.

"It's gone…" he said in a quiet, trembling whisper as if fearing the mice would hear him. "All of it, gone."

Belle shook her head in confusion grasping her father's hand and squeezing it to bring him back from where he had dispaeared to as he continued to chant under his breath _its gone its gone its gone_. "What is? Papa what's gone?"

Maurice stood, letting go of Belle's hand and clumsily moving over to the liquor cabinet, taking out a crystal decanter filled with a dark, sour liquid, pouring a small glass, then raising the decanter up to his mouth and taking a long swig. Belle stood still and watching her father as he winced at the burning of the drink.

"The estate, all our money, gone. We have nothing…" Maurice took another long swig.

Belle looked at her hands in stunned silence, then back at her father. How could this be?

"What happened papa?" she whispered, her heart beating fast and loud.

Maurice only waved his daughter away, not wanting to say anymore and replaced a large hand back onto his face. Belle sat there mutely for a moment, not sure of what to do or what to say. She searched her mind for the right words or sounds of comfort but came up with nothing.

"What does this mean for us Papa?" Belle squared her shoulders, deciding to be brave for the family.

Maurice collapsed into the nearest chair and stared at the carpet, saying nothing. Finally he raised his eyes at his daughter and watched with red eyes then sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know my little rose, my Belle. I suppose we have to sell everything we can, sell the manor, our lands, our things…" Maurice waved a hand around then sagged in his seat.

Belle nodded slowly, her mind racing. Sell the Manor and their things. She willed back tears and tried not to think about what would happen to all their servants, everyone who depended on their family for support. Looking at her distressed Father Belle calmly stood and walked to his side, grabbing his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze and willing him to not see the worry that no doubt flooded her face at that moment. Maurice sobbed and brought her hand to his mouth and he kissed it left it there against his lips as he continued to stare off into nothing.

"It will be alright Papa. Don't worry, we will manage." Belle was surprised at the strength in her voice at that moment and took that strength to clear her thoughts. "I shall make inquiries right this minute, let me and Rosalind handle things." Belle thought of her elder sister, this was not going to bode well with her, what with her not yet engaged and only just getting to know Duke Antoine who owned lands just south of their current home. Josette was married last month to Edward so she would be looked after and Belle made a note to ask for help from her new in-laws, of course Father would not approve but at the moment the family was desperate and needed all the help from family they could gather.

Belle hoped that this change of situation would not affect Rosalind's prospects, knowing her fears of never finding a suitable husband (she was after all 22 already), which were raised ever since Belle's predicament at the Ball, leaving everyone in the kingdom to gossip about that strange girl who cried monster.

Maurice kissed his youngest daughters hand again gratefully, and smiled at her with relief.

"You are my greatest treasure Belle; I don't know what I would do without my little beauty."

Belle grasped her father and hugged him tight around his neck, knowing that things weren't going to be that awful, not when they had each other. Belle smiled conspiratorially at her father with hopes of lifting his mood,

"Perhaps a life at a cottage is just what this family needs hmm?"

XxXxX

"A cottage? In the country!" cried Rosalind, dropping her spoon on the table with a clatter. The family had settled at the dining room table for afternoon tea, the maid serving the family tried not to show the alarm in her eyes as she swiftly picked up the empty plate where cucumber sandwiches once sat. Belle looked at Maurice with wide eyes, she knew that the hardest person to convince was to be Rosalind, and for a moment she was unsure if the two of them were up to the task.

"Yes Rosie. I told you, we can no longer sustain the same lifestyle we have grown accustomed to." Maurice wouldn't look his middle child in the eye but rather chose to stare at the table by her hands where the silver spoon was discarded.

Rosalind looked from her father to her little sister and back in disbelief, slouching in her chair and giving a despairing sigh.

"How could we lose everything? Everything Papa? But… what about me? What will become of me? Of us?"

Belle held her breath and glanced at her father. His trembling hand was rubbing his forehead as he tried to find the right words to calm his daughter, but Belle could tell the same worries were flashing through his mind as well.

"We will find something to do; perhaps you could find work somewhere…"

Rosalind scoffed at the idea. This was not what she had planned this season to be. She planned on parties and suitors and finding a rich husband however suddenly all her dreams and schemes were washing away. She glared at Belle, who appeared cool as a cucumber and Rosalind suspected that her sister maybe even a bit pleased. Of course Belle would find the silver lining, Belle the dreamer.

Rosalind stood up swiftly, tossing her napkin on the table dramatically and storming out the room, waving away the maid that was blocking her exit.

Belle reached for her water class and placed it to her mouth. "Well," She began her eyes dancing a little, "that went very well, I think." And she took a sip of her water as Maurice heaved a great sigh.

XxXxX

Rosalind took a final look at the grand Manor house she grew up in and gave a rather dramatic sigh before climbing into the carriage, her purple velvet cloak heaving along with her as she melted into the seat of the simplest carriage the family had. Selling the Manor had been easier to do than they had anticipated; a new family would now be the proud owners of the massive estate which had been in the possession of the French family for almost four generations.

The indoor staff stood in a row along the front entrance, graciously accepting the small gifts that Belle had made and wrapped for each and every one, a few maids wiping stray tears from their eyes and they curtsied to their old mistress. Belle paused at the head housekeeper and gave the old woman a big hug and kiss on her cheek.

"Mrs. Miller, thank you for being so helpful with finding a place for us. I'm sure your new masters will take very very good care of everyone." Belle beamed at the older woman as she wiped tears from her eyes and squeezed Belles hand in hers.

"I'm sure all your luck will change Miss Belle. Just you wait, don't give up hope now." Her Hazel eyes twinkled with a tinge of sadness, a soft smile on her face. She smoothed down Belles dark hair before letting go. Belle wiped tears from her eyes as she waved the rest of the servants' for a final goodbye and climbed into the carriage behind her father.

The house got smaller and smaller as the black carriage drove down the lane, the gardeners working the front gardens taking off their hats and waving as they passed through the gate. Belle wondered if she would ever see her childhood home again. She took a mental picture of how the large oak trees swayed with the gentle breeze, the swans swimming in the beautiful man made ponds near the gates of the manor. Belle stuck her head out the window and watched the sun through the leaves of the massive oaks that surrounded their old property, summer breeze cooling her cheeks.

Rosalind sniffled into her handkerchief breaking Belles revere and with a sigh she pulled back into the carriage. Her Father had his arm around his daughter and gave Belle a little smile as they jostled along the uneven dirt road. Unlike Rosalind, Belle was not too sad to leave the manor home behind and their many things. The only thing that saddened her was the fact that she would be leaving her books behind but fortunately she was able to keep a few of her favorites. Belle patted the bundle in her lap, treasuring every last one she had.

It took two days to reach the small cottage which sat at the very edge of the Kingdom, the nearest town being half a day's away. There were only three bedrooms, one for her father, one for the two servants, and his wife Bess, whom they were able to bring with them, and one for Rosalind and Belle to share together.

Rosalind was the first to inspect the small house, exclaiming loudly how awfully small the bedrooms were.

"How are we both going to fit in this room, this is undignified! It's impossible." Belle untied her cloak and laid it across a wooden chair in the kitchen as she listened to her sister cry out from the upper floors. The main floor had two rooms, a sitting area which was painted a plain cream colour, the brick of the fireplace the same shade of white with blackening at the top, it was furnished with a small sofa and two meek armchairs, with a simple window that let in a soft light. Across from the sitting room was kitchen which also served as a dining area. Then there was the larder behind the stairs and a small closet for storage across from that. Upstairs were the two family bedrooms, the largest belonging to their father, and the entire attic was reserved for Mr. and Mrs. Jones. Belle found the place very charming, and made sure to say so to her father, who looked as if he had not slept for days as he aimlessly wandered in, not really looking at the place. Belle sat him down in the most comfortable chair in the living area, motioning for Bess to get water from the pump so they can wash up. Belle removed her father's shoes and rubbed his feet to comfort him earning her a small sad smile from the large man.

"Everything will be wonderful Papa, you'll see. We all have each other. And who knows, perhaps our luck will change." Maurice only nodded.

"Think of it as an adventure!" she said brightly as she began placing stacks of wood in the fireplace to get heat into the cold house. Maurice watched in awe as she coaxed the flame into submission, and then as she rose to help Bess with the water.

This will work; Belle was determined to make this work.

XxXxX

Rosalind sprawled out onto the couch with a massive and dramatic sigh, placing a cool hand to her forehead, as though she were a fainting damsel in distress. "I'm so bored!"

Belle smirked from her place by the fire, her darning forgotten by her feet as she turned the page to the final chapter of her book. Just a month in and each day was the same. Rosalind would wake up; scrunch her nose at the simple tea and porridge set out for breakfast. She would walk from the sitting room to the kitchen back to the sitting room, sigh and sprawl out on the sofa complaining about her dull and miserable life.

"This place is so… small and… ugh!" Rosalind dropped her arms heavily to her sides.

"Well you could help with the cleaning, maybe work in the gardens?" Belle mused turning another page.

Rosalind rolled her eyes at her sister, sitting contently by the fire. The simple life was treating Belle very well, easily slipping into the position of happy little country girl.

Her dark tresses were pulled back from her face and tied with a blue ribbon which matched her simple blue dress. An apron was tied around her waste, her usually white skin had a glow about it from time spent outside, her cheeks rosy from the fire. Hard work had toned the muscles in Belles arms and legs, making her less the skinny little girl and more the strong young woman. Belle had been completely content spending time within the cottage and working around the house alongside Bess and Mr. Jones, in fact she relished in the work and the solitude of the small house, never having to worry about parties and small talk and her father worrying about her finding a husband.

Belle had even decided to start her own small garden out in the back. She had brought with her pots of flowers and vegetable bushes from their old Manor home, determined to learn how to tend a garden. Belle spent many days outside, Bess teaching her how to weed and use the gardening tools they had at their disposal. Belle loved the feel of the earth on her bare hands and the fresh air and the sunlight. She cherished her time outdoors tending her little garden. The rosebush was the first thing she had planted as it had been from the same plant her Mother had planted back at the Manor. Belle placed the bush against the outer wall with a smile and imagining that soon it would creep up the wall of the tiny cottage and cover it with beautiful pink blossoms, Belle couldn't wait until spring arrived now.

Maurice and Rosalind on the other hand were not handling the simple living with the same grace as Belle. Maurice had lost weight since the move, and he was constantly going into town trying to find ways to make his wealth back. Belle was concerned for her father's health, he was not the same man he once was, but rather was a broken shell and it saddened Belle to see him so far gone.

Belle finished the last page of her book and sighed happily closing the cover. Looking out the window she spotted her father rushing up the walk. A wide grin splayed across Belles face as she placed her book down on the armrest, standing up and stretching then making her way, past the despondent Rosalind and to the door. Belle quickly undid her apron and hung it up on the hook by the door smiling at her father as she helped him out of his overcoat, his eyes not meeting hers as he rushed into the kitchen to splash water on his face. Belle frowned at his wearied gestures and folded his coat over the chair at the kitchen table, motioning Bess to make the tea.

"Good day or bad day Papa, which was it?" Belle leaned on the basin, left hand fisted onto her hip. Maurice glanced up at Belle and gave a weak smile before splashing more cold water on his face. Belle raised her eyebrows at him and waited. Something was up and she wanted to know what.

Maurice accepted the teacup that Bess handed him and took a sip of the hot beverage before placing it on the kitchen table and heading toward the stairs. Belle frowned and watched him silently amble up the stairs back to his room. For a while Belle drummed her fingers on the wash basin, focussing on the stairs, wondering what Maurice was hiding from her.

"Tea miss Belle?" Belle shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at Bess as she graciously accepted the drink. Taking a sip Belle thought about her father and his strange behaviour the past few days. He was hiding something, she was sure of it, but it wasn't like her father to keep things from her, especially important things. Maybe it wasn't important? Belle took another sip of tea, swirling the bitter drink around in her mouth before swallowing, her hand still drumming the basin.

"Would you stop that incessant tapping Belle! For God's sake!" Rosalind cried from her place on the sofa, her dainty wrist now covering her eyes.

Belle raised her eyebrows at the very un-lady like outcry from her eldest sister. Yes the simple life did not fare well with the two. Belle decided to keep an eye on her Father, if he was hiding something, she would soon find out.

XxXxX

The creaking stairs made Belle turn from her spot at her bedroom window that night. The moon was full, beams of light streaming into the bedroom and casting eerie shadows across the sleeping face of her sister, her hair in kiss curls around her face and the moon highlighting the reddish tinge to her otherwise fair hair.

Belle moved from the window and tip toed over to the bedroom door, gently opening the door just enough to peer into the darkened hall. Maurice was inching slowly down the stairs, a small lamp in his hand to light his way and his travelling cloak slung hastily over his shoulders. Belle bit her lip, her breathing getting heavier as she contemplated what to do.

Finally coming to a conclusion, she ducked back into the room and quickly changed into her blue dress, pulling her cloak off the hook and clasping it around her neck. She glanced over at Rosalind who had turned onto her side as Belle placed both her shoes on her feet. She forgoed pulling her hair out of her face, there wasn't enough time. Dipping out of the room and silently as she could shutting the bedroom door, Belle headed down the stairs, ignoring the tiny creaks that escaped from her descent. She went out the back door and looked across the field and soon found her father's figure moving away from the house passed the back garden and down the small hill, his lamp pinpointing his position. Belle followed a safe distance behind her father, every so often glancing back toward the house to gage how far they had gone. The air was chilly that night, and the clouds were covering what little light the moon would give, Belle would have to initiate her sleuth skills to be sure not to trip and make noise.

Belle watched as her father entered the woods, his light flickering nervously in the breeze. Belle furrowed her brow and followed him further into the dark woods. Belle moved branches away from her face and gingerly stepped around the foliage, making sure to not snap any twigs or make excessive noise. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance, but Belle never once let her eyes stray from her Fathers light. They passed a quiet Brooke and moved downwards toward an opening in the trees. Finally Maurice stopped at a clearing, a crumbling wall encircled the place, ruins of a cottage perhaps, it was too dark for Belle to see.

Maurice placed his light on the stone of the wall and glanced back toward where Belle was and Belle sucked in her breath and ducked behind a large tree, closing her eyes and praying that she hadn't been caught. Slowly looking over her right shoulder Belle watched as her father paced the clearing, mumbling to himself. She couldn't hear anything as she was too far away so Belle decided she had to get closer. Gingerly she placed one foot in front of the other, making sure her steps were soft and yet swift. Inching toward the old man Belle could finally hear well enough to make out the one word Maurice was whispering over and over again

_Rumpelstiltskin…_


	3. What's in a name

The name sent a shiver down Belle's spine as she leaned against the outer wall of the ruined cottage, her breath coming out in gentle wisps of smoke. Again Maurice whispered the name: _Rumpelstiltskin _as if in prayer to one of the Gods. Fervently he said it over and over, every so often looking around the place almost expecting something to happen. Belles view was obstructed by a tree that had started to grow from within the cottage, but she could still see the flutter of her father's cloak as he paced the area, hands wringing, face ashen and full of sweat.

The night became still as Maurice paced the yard, unaware of the change in the atmosphere, still pacing back and forth saying that name over and over and over again.

What was he doing? Belle's curiosity made her immobile, unable to speak to her father to call out to him, though she wanted to. As Belle finally built up the courage to break her father's fervency another voice was heard just by the wall to which Belle was hiding, a second voice was heard, one with a higher pitch and very distinct from her Fathers. Belle quickly ducked back further behind the wall where she was hiding so as to not be noticed. Her right arm stretched out, her hand flat holding the wall and she pressed her back against the cold grey stone, as if trying to disappear within the cracks. Craning her neck, she placed a cheek to the stone, trying to hear.

"You called?" The voice was playful, but something in the tone made the hair on the back of Belles neck stand on end. When did the other person get here? Belle was so focused on her father that she must have not seen the stranger enter the rubble of the cottage. Not being able to see what was going on was driving Belle mad, but she was too afraid to move from her spot with one half of her not wanting to know, the other half screaming for her to satiate her curiosity. No, she would not move, her ears would have to do.

"I- uh… I-" Maurice faltered, trying to remember what he had planned to say. He looked at the creature before him, no, the man before him. The moon was hidden by clouds and Maurice's light had blown out the minute the man entered the clearing. Where did he come from? When Maurice had heard whispers about the person they called The Dark One, the Deal Maker who could make all your dreams come true at a price, he had eagerly searched out more information and came back with a single name.

The man raised an eyebrow at Maurice, his golden eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Maurice scanned the man before him, taking in every detail - the black leathers on his legs, the jacket which appeared to be dragon hide, a dark silk shirt under a jagged vest. His skin was grey and mottled like a lizard but Maurice couldn't be sure in the dark. It was the eyes that he felt the most, the eyes that made him swallow heavily, the eyes that now sneered at Maurice.

"You said my name over and over again," The creature continued with a twirl of his long claw like fingers, "I may have to find a NEW one."

The creature slowly started moving around the place and Maurice moved with him, as far away as he possibly could, not letting his back face the creature before him in fear of what may happen. The creature suddenly jumped up onto a low part of the wall, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, ankle resting on his knee.

"What do you want." The Dark One sang, slapping his leather knees with his hands ardently; it was more of a demand than a question.

Maurice's eyes went wide, his breath caught in his mouth. His fear only made the creature smile, his blackened teeth showing and the edges of his thin mouth turning upwards like smile of a crocodile.

"I… I need… need your help." Finally Maurice found his voice.

The creature rolled his eyes and sat back "Well _obviously _you want my help. That's what people always want, for me to come and give them help." The staccato of the creature's voice emphasizing the last words of his sentence in boredom as if he had said it over and over.

"My wealth," Maurice straightened himself up finally, gaining in courage. "It's gone, I want it back – I tried getting it back, but nothing worked. Please I-I need it."

The creature narrowed his eyes and scoffed at the old man, "that is all? Money problems?"

Jumping off the ledge, Rumpelstiltskin suddenly bounded toward Maurice, black claws wrapping his hand around Maurice's cloak pulling him closer so as to be able to feel the creature's breath on his face. He was not a big man, this Rumpelstiltskin, but at that instance size was no matter for he towered over the large Maurice.

Maurice paled and shook his head. "No. its-its not all that. I have a family, I need them to be helped, protected. I made a mistake a terrible mistake. I'm in debt, they are coming for me. I need my wealth back so I can pay them off, keep my family safe. P-Please sir." Maurice's eyes were wild with fear, the creature so close he could almost taste the breath of the Dark One. After what felt for Maurice a lifetime, a small smile broke out onto the creatures face. Letting Maurice go He swivelled around clapping his hands with glee and walking back toward the tree that had been growing within the ruins.

"Ah, I see I see. You need me to _save _you from the money lenders. Offering to break your legs are they?" Rumpelstiltskin sang, spinning to face Maurice who was now on his knees, weak in fear and desperation.

"Well, lucky for you, I am in a generous mood!" the creature trilled his r as he waved his hand in a dramatic flourish. Maurice couldn't believe his ears, the creature would help him? His face must have lit up for the Dark One sneered at him and raised a finger,

"uh uh uh." He wagged, silencing anything Maurice may have begun to say.

"I can help you, For a price." The creatures face owered, his long waves brushing the edges of his high collar, his eyes fixed upon Maurice's face. A wicked gleam escaped onto the face of The Dark One as Maurice fidgeted nervously, not even able stand in his presence. Rumpelstiltskin could smell the fear radiating off the old man as he trembled in his boots. This is one of his favorite parts about making deals, the fear and respect from everyone and anyone.

"Anything you want" Was Maurice's fervent reply.

One side of Rumpelstiltskin's mouth turned up in a wicked smile,

"I love it when they say anything." He laughed, and then placed a black finger to the side of his mouth in mock contemplation, walking back and forth, brow furrowed but his eyes all a gleam. As if coming to a dramatic conclusion the Dark One spun to face the old man with his hand raised in the air.

"How about your life." Rumpelstiltskin pointed his claw at Maurice, the staccato of the request reverberating off the walls of the old cottage.

Belle had not moved from her spot and heard every word uttered between the two, and her breath caught in her throat.

Inside the circle of the broken down cottage, Maurice began to sweat while the Dark One narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

"You want my life? To kill me?" Maurice all but whispered for clarification, not daring to look Rumpelstiltskin in the eye.

The Dark One again waved his hand impatiently, "No No No, not _kill _you, not right away anyway. No first I want you to grovel at my feet, be a slave and maybe my foot rest for a while, My throne is rather high and I do hate when my legs dangle." Rumpelstiltskin's eyes danced with glee as he took another step closer to the trembling man, and leaned down slightly as if about to impart some great secret.

"Then, I will cut off your head, shrink it and add it to my collection of Nobles." The Dark One laughed in glee clapping his hands as Maurice clutched his neck in response, his face ashen.

"If I agree to the deal, you will save my family?" he said quietly, hands still trembling at his throat.

Rumpelstiltskin was almost impressed with the old Man's determination but licked his lips and looked down at him through a nonchalant gaze, "I will make sure your lovely girls will want for nothing."

He responded and with a flick of the wrist, Rumpelstiltskin summoned a long scroll from a puff of smoke along with a quill with purple feather.

"A contract, Lord Maurice, riches and family protection in exchange for your life." His eyes beamed with satisfaction as Maurice slowly stood and moved closer to the Dark One, examining the contract before him. Maurice's shaking hand took the quill from Rumpelstiltskin and still dared not look the Dark One in the eye. A snap of a twig made Maurice start and stare behind the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin tilting his head toward the lone tree within the clearing.

"Come on out, Dearie, we know your there. Not so _stealthy _are you?" Rumpelstiltskin called out mockingly.

Belle winced from her spot behind the wall. Taking a few deep breaths in Belle slid from her spot and ducked out from behind the tree. The man who stood with her father was was taller than she was, but not as tall as her father, which surprised her as his voice had suggested something much more menacing. His back was to her so she could not see his face but she could see the scales of his jacket in the moonlight and his mess of hair waving to his shoulders. He was not physically imposing, but there was an aura about him that made Belle shiver, magic sizzled around him and she could sense it and was struck with how it all felt eerily familiar.

Slowly Belle came into the view of the moonlight, her eyes never straying from the dark one as she circled around him to move toward her father who had jolted back when he saw her.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here!" Fear crossed Maurice's face as Belle grabbed a hold of his arm, removing the quill from his hands. She was facing the Dark One now, seeing him in the moonlight as the clouds pulled back. His grey skin gleamed in the newfound light, yellow and black teeth showing as he smiled at the beauty, his golden eyes dancing up and down her form before resting back to her face. She met his stare with her own stare, her blue eyes dark and unwavering in the night, making him tilt his head in curiosity.

"Well my lovely, glad you could grace us with your presence, I wasn't sure you would have the courage to come out from your hiding place, you must have been quite cramped Dearie."

Belle swallowed but didn't dare look away and addressed her Father who was trembling at her side.

"What are you doing Papa?"

Maurice stared at Belle, his mouth suddenly dry, "you can't be here child, leave now!" Maurice pleaded with her fervently, grabbing at her cloak. Finally Belle stole her eyes away from the man in front of her to look at her Father tugging at her cloak.

"I heard everything Papa, you don't need to do this. We can find a way out;" Belle furrowed her brow feeling a tinge of betrayal from her father. "You should have come to me, confided in me."

Maurice only shook his head. "I've tried every option, everything. To no avail." He grasped her small hand in his clammy one. "This is our last option. I'm dead either way."

Belle searched her father's face and tried to think of something on the spot that would help their situation. The Dark One stood patiently by, carefully watching the two with a sly smile on his face.

Belle's breath became quickened as realisation dawned on her face, there was only one way. She didn't let her eyes go from Maurice's face as she spoke,

"Take me." She said in one breath

Maurice sputtered and grasped her hand tighter as Rumpelstiltskin sneered and laughed.

"I was _waiting _for you to say that. I do enjoy being right about people."

Belle glared at the Dark One ignoring his comment and taking a bold step forward, removing herself from her Father's grip.

"You will change the contract. You protect my family, save my father and my life is yours."

Maurice began to protest, but Belle silenced him with one look of determination.

"This is my choice Papa. Let me save you."

Rumpelstiltskin glowered then with a puff of purple smoke he produced a new contract and Stepped delicately toward the girl and her father.

"New and improved Dearie, all I need is your name." He smiled wickedly.

Belle looked from the contract to the Dark One, her breath evening out as she looked the Dark One over.

"Belle," she said straightening her shoulders. "My name is Belle."

"Belle." Rumpelstiltskin emphasized every letter of her name, as if tasting it, his eyes narrowing into almost dreamy slits.

"Beautiful. That's what it means, eh Dearie. Such a…delight of a name." The Dark One bared his teeth getting very close to Belle, daring her to look away.

She wouldn't be afraid, she would not stand down. Looking her over once more and gave an appreciative hum at her bravery. Bravery or stupidity, he couldn't decide, not that it mattered to him.

"Well, Belle, a deal is a deal. I will save your family from the evil money lenders and you will come with me to follow my every request and desire." His eyes narrowed as he thrust the contract toward her. Quick as she could, Belle scanned the contents of the contract and scribbled her signature on the dotted line, ignoring the nasty gleam that crossed the Dark Ones face and her Fathers cries.

"No Belle!" but it was too late.

With a flourish, the contract was gone along with the quill in Belles hand.

"Excellent! Well, looks like we came up with a deal. Your wealth shall be restored, best head home to your _remaining _daughter. You no longer have anything more to offer me." The Dark One snaked an arm around Belles shoulders bringing her close.

"But, Dark One, please…" Maurice pleaded.

With a wave of his hand, Belle and the Dark One disappeared into a haze of purple smoke. Maurice ran forward to where the two were standing, just an empty space at the centre of the ruins. Belle was gone.


	4. Dungeons and Dragons

Belle found herself hurled into a dungeon of sorts, tripping over her blue skirts as she fell face first into the dirt and straw that lay on the ground. The travel by magic had made her dizzy and a bit sick and she braced herself against the spinning of the room. The ruins of the cottage had dissolved along with her Father behind her, calling her name as the Dark One transported them to wherever she was currently though her eyes had never once left the face of her new master.

Taking deep breaths Belle tried to focus on one thing to stop the nausea that threatened. Her hands and knees throbbed from the force of falling to the ground, her head pounded in her skull as she attempted to adjust to the dark and dank dungeon of her new life. Her breathing was shaky as she pulled herself off the floor and attempted to regain her composure.

Belle surveyed the room; the Door behind her where she came in was large and thick made of a heavy wood and a contained a single small window with bars. She noted the small window in front of her which let in an ice cold breeze, not big enough to get out of she noted, though perhaps she could fit an arm or maybe her shoulder. She looked to her right and saw a small cot for sleeping with no blankets or any form of comfort there or anywhere in the small room, and next to the bed attached to the wall were two shackles with the appearance of dried blood on them and their presence unnerved Belle. A dungeon, for sure.

"Well, I always said I wanted an adventure…" Belle bristled under her breath wiping the straw and dust from her sore hands. Wincing she looked down, she had scraped her palms on the floor where she landed, shallow cuts glowing red in what little moonlight there was available. If she wasn't killed right away then perhaps an infection would end her misery. Belle shook the dark thoughts from her mind; she would never give into her misery completely or beg for mercy from this beast. However, she decided –raising an eyebrow – she definitely didn't have to go quietly into that silent night.

Quick as she could Belle scurried over to the door and grasped the bars of the small window that allowed her to look out into the hall, and pressed up onto her tip toes to be able to see out the window. Her view wasn't too good but if she pressed her cheek as close as she could against the bars she could, slightly make out a torch on the grey stone wall to her left. Pressing her left cheek to the bars she could see down a hallway and yet another torch. Belle removed her face from the bars and bit her lip. It had appeared she may be in the only prison cell, judging the size of the room she was in as she would have seen other doors. Though, Belle mused, she wasn't too familiar with prison cells, maybe they were deceptively far apart; maybe there were hundreds of cells. What if the entire place was nothing but cells for poor victims of this creature to live out their lives, prisoners of darkness?

"Hey!" Belle called out as loud as she could, her voice echoing down the empty hall. As standing on her toes made her feet sore, she began jumping up as she yelled again,

"Hello!" nothing but a hollow echo came back to her.

Over and over Belle jumped up and yelled, jumped and yelled until her legs were wobbly and her voice hoarse. Where ever she was, she was completely alone. And not alone the way she liked, but utterly, wholly, and totally alone.

Defeated and tired, Belle took a few wobbling steps toward the cot and collapsed into a sitting position on the edge. Looking around and seeing her new reality, she placed her face in her hands, letting the tears finally flow freely.

XxXxX

Belle did not move from her cot all night, watching as a little patch of light crept through the tiny window, dust particles pirouetting through the air as the light slowly moved along the floor. She had her knees drawn up to her chin, arms wrapped around her legs and she was trying to find a way to distract herself from the doom she had created for herself while simultaneously trying to keep her shivers from the cold from the window down to a minimum. Her mind kept wavering back to the deal maker, the Dark One. Something about him was familiar but she didn't know what it was. She chewed on her bottom lip trying to remember every detail but all she could do was see her Fathers face, his horrified look. Belle closed her eyes and rubbed her face in attempts at erasing the memory. If she were to keep her wits about her and bear the position she was in she would have to forget. Maybe there was some sort of magic potion for that?

A clang brought her attention back to the present. Looking toward the door she saw a plate of food had appeared, the purple smoke just clearing away. Magic food? Belles eyes went wide, she had never seen magic in her life, didn't even know it existed and now she has been party to magical transportation and magic food. Oh how the mind reels.

Getting off her spot on the cot she edged toward the food, leading with her feet, head back and face skeptical as if the food were an explosive. Leaning down she quickly picked up the plate and brought it up to her face a single brow raised skeptically. It certainly resembled food, the mush was a greenish colour, but the smell gave no hints as to the properties of it. She poked the side of it with a finger. Felt like porridge but looked like mashed peas. Absolutely horrendous concoction that would not be edible.

"Can I get some _Real _food, if it pleases you?" Belle yelled haughtily to the window of her cell door, only her echo reaching back. "Helloooo" Belle sang out, placing the plate back on the floor, waiting for something, anything. Why give her food if the intent was to let her die alone in her cell? Belle decided that there had to be someone, that she wasn't alone.

"What is the point of me being here? Hello? Why don't you just kill me already? Why bother feeding me?" Belle stomped over to the door and started kicking it repeatedly, angry bangs rattling down the halls. She would make as much racket as she could, even if it did nothing but give her a place to vent her anger. It was not fear that powered her it was anger she decided, anger at her father anger at her captor, even anger at herself. She had yet to let fear into her heart and she was proud of that, and damned if she allowed any fear in while she was incarcerated.

"Yes yes Dearie you do have a point."

Belle gasped and spun around. Sitting on the cot, legs crossed and arms behind their head sat Rumpelstiltskin. Belle set her jaw and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at him, trying to be bold, but he only smiled in return, a demeaning smile with an evil glint in his eye.

"Oh you do look scrumptious with your hands on your hips dearie, very feisty, Very you. I had hoped to get you started on mopping the floors but perhaps I will just gut and quarter you then make you into stew hmm?" A giggle escaped his lips.

Belle slowly dropped her hands and stared at him in disbelief, her eyes becoming large. But Rumpelstiltskin sensed no fear, which unnerved him for a moment, which he brushed aside with a wave of his hand, attributing it to stupidity on her part.

"Well then, you have my attention dearie. What do you want? I see you have scuffed my door, and neglected the nourishment I provided." He trilled as he jumped up and slowly paced around her, circling her like a vulture with his arms clasped behind him, his eyes wandering over her petite form. Belle became suddenly insecure, crossing her arms over her chest and her face growing hot as he circled her.

"Are you going to kill me then?"

Rumpelstiltskin was suddenly two inches from her face, close enough for Belle to feel his breath on her skin and his hand was on her throat, tight enough to control the movements of her head but not so tight as to constrict her breathing.

"Is that what you want, little girl? To die?" He breathed with a low voice, so very different from the voice she heard in the forest.

Belle grabbed at his hands, trying in vain to free herself. She was soon shoved up against the wall, his forearm placed violently across her collar bone, pinning her in place. Belle winced and breathed heavily as Rumpelstiltskin pressed his face as close as he could without touching her, searching her face for…something.

As suddenly as she was against the wall, she was released from his grasp and she staggered, trying not to fall to the ground. Rumpelstiltskin turned on his heel and used magic to open the cell door.

"Come along Dearie, we shall give the lady a tour."

Meekly Belle rubbed her jaw and followed him out the cell, uncomfortable with his sudden shifts in mood. As they walked down the stony hall Belle noted the other dungeons and the torches that lit up in front of them, and were extinguished after they passed. Belle took in every sight and every smell, trying hard to put everything into her memory bank in case she would need to retrieve it later.

They entered a large room, drenched in dark reds; Tapestries covered the walls, and trinkets stood on tall stands along the walls where a large cabinet stood with more trinkets. The massive windows were covered in thick red curtain, a large table at the center. As Rumpelstiltskin sat at the only chair in the table, Belle discretely noticed a spinning wheel in the corner in front of her.

"Come here, Dearie." Rumpelstiltskin nearly spit out that last word, Belle pursing her lips and furrowing her brow.

"I have a name; you can use it you know." Belle was surprised at the tone of her voice, she had seen him use magic before meaning he could probably turn her into a snail at the snap of his fingers. She also recalled how, though he was only a few inches taller than she and not appearing to have a great mass of muscles, he still seemed to be able to hurl her against a wall with great ease. She should be wary of the creature before her.

Rumpelstiltskin smirked at her daring lowered his voice. "Come here, _Belle._"

Raising her chin, Belle delicately walked closer to her captor with as much grace as she could muster. Rumpelstiltskin raised a hand to his face, rubbing his chin in amusement as she approached. When she was a foot away from him she stopped and clasped her hands behind her back and planted her feet firmly on the ground, making direct eye contact.

"Closer, _Belle, _I have… a gift." With a flourish of his hands and a puff of purple smoke, Rumpelstiltskin produced a glowing golden necklace, the fine chains linked together creating a braid and at the center stood a small sapphire-like stone, shimmering as if enchanted. Belle looked from him, to the necklace, then back to him again.

"Jewelry? You're giving me jewelry?" Belle deadpanned.

"Yes." He responded simply, meeting her blank look with one of his own.

Belle looked at him as if he had bugs crawling out of his ears, raised her arm and pointed at him and back at her as she spoke.

"You," she emphasized "are giving, me -your captive; the person you threw into a cell- Your giving me jewelry?"

"Well, it's more like… a collar." Rumpelstiltskin got out of his seat and swept aside Belles tresses before she could respond, shocked at how quick and graceful his own movements were. The Gold necklace hummed close to her ear as he wrapped it around her neck, closing the latch and taking a step backward.

At first the necklace just glowed, but then Belle felt a searing pain on her collar as the necklace turned a brighter shade of yellow. Belle let out a gasp and clutched at chain, burning her hands.

"What's happening!" panic had set in as Belle clutched again at the necklace, but Rumpelstiltskin ignored her as he produced a cup of tea with a wave of the hand and taking a seat at his chair once more.

The glowing finally dissipated, the necklace turning a more natural shade of gold and the shimmer of the sapphire dulling to a darker blue. Belle was clawing at the necklace, looking for the clasp, but the clasp had disappeared.

"What the hell is this?" Belle demanded with a shaky voice.

Rumpelstiltskin sighed dramatically, placing two feet upon the table and crossing his boots at the ankles "I told you. It's a collar. Now you cannot leave this castle. If you try to jump out of a window, sneak through a crack in the wall, fly away, you will feel a pain so great you will wish for death." With that he took another sip of his tea.

"Why?" Belle whispered.

"Well you are now one of my things. A moving living thing, I can't have you escaping now." He stood walking over to the fireplace to the left of the table, magically conjuring a fire.

"It cannot be removed either, so don't even bother." He continued, "You are mine. Forever. Now, let's put you to some use. I know for a fact you know how to handle a broom, and I assume you know how to make tea, so your duties now will consist of cleaning the castle, serving me all my meals, bringing me straw for when I spin, cleaning my clothes, whatever I request or desire."

Belle took a slow breath. "No."

Rumpelstiltskin slowly turned to face her. "No?" he said mockingly

Belle folded her arms and stuck out her hip. "No. that is not our deal."

Rumpelstiltskin narrowed his eyes. But Belle didn't back down.

"No, you said you wanted my life. There is nothing in our contract saying that I had to be a slave to you, I know, I read every word. Who signs a contract without reading it, really?" Belle stifled a smile as she watched the Dark One sputter and twitch his hands.

"Let me make you a deal." She raised an eyebrow at him, his eyes narrowing.

"I will agree to be your _servant_" she emphasized the word "If you remove this collar."

"Out of the question, that collar cannot be removed now. Nothing I can do, Dearie." He spat, getting closer to her.

Belle pursed her lips, it was worth a try.

"Why don't I just kill you? As you said before, your life is mine" Rumpelstiltskin challenged.

Belle just shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think you will."

"Oh No?" He was closer now his eyes narrowed. Belle daringly took one step forward to close the gap between them.

"If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now." She said matter of factly. There was a flicker of something in Rumpelstiltskin's eye for a brief moment that Belle was unable to decipher.

Rumpelstiltskin considered what she said for a while, the edges of his mouth twitching slightly.

"What _else _do you want?" He queried with a sneer and Belle tried her best to hide her triumph at the progress.

"My food then. I want better food, none of this mush stuff. And a proper room, with a bed and linens and washing basin. If I'm to be slaving away all day, I want to at least be able to relax at night. Give me these small trifles and I will do all the servant stuff you so desire me to do. Do we have a deal?" She finally let herself give a small half smile.

Rumpelstiltskin stepped back, examining her. "Fine, deal. But you will do everything I ask of you. Everything. If you don't, then back to the dungeon with large welts on your back."

Belle held out her hand to complete the transaction. Rumpelstiltskin considered her small hand, as if afraid it would bite him, and he gingerly shook it.

Belle smiled triumphantly, "Pleasure doing business with you. Master." She gave a mock curtsy and Rumpelstiltskin sneered at her once again.


	5. The Wintry Beggar

Opening yet another door that lead to a long and winding corridor, Belle finally admitted to herself that she was completely, utterly and hopelessly lost.

"It's like new corridors just spring up out of nowhere every day!" she huffed to herself, her voice bouncing off the highly decorated walls. She had yet to see a single person in the three weeks she had been at the Dark Castle. All her life she had been surrounded by people, being that she was the youngest of three and lived in a large home filled with servants. Even when she was alone in her father's library or reading in her bedroom, she always was comforted to know that in the very next room or somewhere in the house there was somebody, living out their own story. But not in the Dark Castle – not with the Dark One. That's what they called him she found out a week after she had arrived at the home of Rumpelstiltskin. A beggar had pounded on the massive oak doors that guarded the entrance into the castle, Belle almost losing her footing when the poor man tumbled onto her after she pulled the doors open.

"I wish to speak with the dark one missus…" the man had rasped, his lips were chapped and revealed blackened teeth, years of decay. His face had little patches of purple frost bite from the harsh winter that surrounded the place; his clothing tattered and hung onto him in a wet mass. She realised as she helped the man back onto his feet that he must have travelled to the castle on foot. She glanced behind his shoulder looking into the blistering cold, the snow whipping around madly as the storm worsened. Not letting go of the man's arm, Belle heaved the door back into place, stopping the whiteness from further entering the house. She turned back to the beggar who had fallen back onto his knees, his face pressed to her feet as he repeated his request to speak to the Dark One. Belle knelt down and again brought the man to his feet, he not once meeting her eye.

"You're nearly frozen to death, you must come inside and warm up, and I can make tea, maybe find something for you to eat…"

The beggar glanced up at the little beauty, blinking his eyes in response to her warm smile, eyes large and sympathetic, as if he had never witnessed warmth or kindness in his entire life. Belle straightened, realising that perhaps he really had never witness kindness before. Without another word she gently guided the man around the large table that sat in the center of the foyer and led him through a few doors until they entered the main hall, a large fire lit. Leading him quickly to one of the large leather seats that sat close to the fire, Belle gently sat the man down, drawing up a blanket that had been lying on the arm of the chair. She then walked over to the long wooden table where she had left her tea things, quickly pouring a generous cup of tea and walking it over to the poor man shivering by the fire.

"Here, drink this, it may help with the cold." The man greedily took the cup and immediately downed the whole thing, not once flinching at the heat that seared down his throat. Belle quickly brought the whole pot back to her new guest, sensing that one cup would not suffice. After a second cup was poured the man then opening stared at the woman before him, really looking her over. Belle had taken to stoking the fire with a poker, making the flames a bit larger as she tossed another log onto the fire. She glanced back at the man, making him stare back at his cup in shame.

"Forgive me missus, I was not expecting…" he looked at her again, "well… you."

Belle smiled softly again, folding her hands on top of her blue dress. The man surveyed the room again, taking in the tapestries and trinkets, his eyes wide at the grandeur of the room.

"I aint never been in a place quite like this…" he whispered, sipping the warm beverage again, he was beginning to get the feeling back into his hands, the fire glowed on his dry face, increasing the deep lines that had set, his eyes red from exhaustion. He looked at Belle again, this time with new curiosity in his eyes.

"Are you the lady of the house?" he asked, eyeing her dress that was finer than any he had seen, though it did look a bit plain to be the dress of the mistress of the Dark Castle. The glint of a find gold chain and dark blue jewel sparkled around the beauty's neck. Definitely not the necklace of a servant he thought, and too clean and proper to be of lower birth like him.

Belle blinked her brow furrowing as she thought about what he had asked. She decided not to answer him; instead she wished to know what he had been doing all the way there.

"You came to see… the Dark One?" she asked, the name giving her shivers as she said it.

The beggar's eyes widened as he remembered his purposes. Before he could answer the hairs on their necks began to stand as the familiar sensation of magic filled the room.

"Who is that, in my chair?"

The beggars face paled at the imp's voice, Belle glancing up behind the leather backing of the chair to where Rumpelstiltskin was standing, a wicked gleam in his eye. In a puff of reddish smoke the dark one rematerialized between Belle and the beggar, Rumpelstiltskin grabbing the poor shivering man by the shirts and lifting him up onto his feet, the force making the beggar cry out in fear. Rumpelstiltskin threw the man onto the floor near the centre table, and grinned, slowly walking toward the quaking man as he tried to crab crawl backwards in vain as he hit the leg of the massive table. Rumpelstiltskin's leather boots echoed off the floor as he neared to the man, leaning down so that his face was close so close to the beggars, that Rumpelstiltskin could smell the fear dripping down the beggars face, eyes wide and mouth slack.

Belle was frozen at her spot in front of the fire, completely dumb from fright. She suddenly remembered herself, realising she had to interject and rescue the poor man.

"He was cold…" She began; Rumpelstiltskin had grabbed at the man's neck and froze in place when she spoke. "He-he was cold and so I let him in. look at him, I think he's injured…" she waved at the purplish black patches on the man's face. Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head toward his main, his upper lip curling in a sneer, tightening his grip on the man's throat. The beggar sputtered his pleases to the Dark One as he tried to swallow in the air that was being squeezed out of his lungs. Belle's face became suddenly alarmed as the beggars face turned a shade of blue. She became enraged suddenly and lunged at her masters' arm, trying to pull it from the beggars' throat, Rumpelstiltskin only smiling wickedly as he unlatched his hand from the man's throat and threw Belle backwards with such force the air went out of her lungs when she hit the floor. The beggar was gasping at the new air that burned his lungs as he pathetically crawled back towards the double doors he had entered through, passing Belle who had slowly sat up rubbing her head in pain. Rumpelstiltskin was suddenly at the doors blocking the man's path, the beggar looking up and asking for mercy.

"Well, I admit it was brave of you to bear the weather…" Rumpelstiltskin sang, a flourish of his hands to the drawn curtains that hid the large windows overlooking the castle grounds. "Brave or stupid, I'm going to go with stupid however." He narrowed his eyes, smiling at the Beggar who was now crying pathetically. Belle had not moved from her spot on the ground, only looked from master to beggar, not daring to say another word, though her face was still filled with anger and a tinge of hatred.

"Please," the beggar began, folding his hands in front of him as though in prayer, "please, I only seek your help, Dark One." The beggar bowed and kissed Rumpelstiltskin's dark boot in fealty. A muscle in the Dark Ones face twitched at the gesture, his amber eyes darkening at the gesture. He snarled and waved his hand at the beggar,

"Get up," he hissed moving away from the beggar, the man rising to his knees, not daring to look at the Dark Ones face. He stole a glance at Belle, her chest heaving slightly as she observed the proceedings.

"Please Dark One, I meant no disrespect, and the missus was only being kind, don't punish her…"

Rumpelstiltskin suddenly remembered his maid, narrowing his eyes at her, her anger only rising. She finally was able to stand shakily to her feet, squaring her shoulders, but she dared not take a step further, for fear that her master would only hurt the poor shivering man more if she did.

Finally after a long pause, Rumpelstiltskin giggled, putting on his menacing business face and sauntered over to the large table in the center, conjuring up a cup of tea.

"Well, Dearie. Since you came ALL this way to see little old me, why not tell me what you want."

The beggar scrambled to his feet and turned to the Dark One, licking his chapped lips and remembering his courage, now was his chance.

"I have a child, oh Dark One…" the beggar began to sweat again, pulling at the strings of his battered cloak, he shivered in fear -or cold, Belle could not determine, but the sweat on his brow and the way his hand shook as he pulled and pulled at the warn cloth declared his fear. Belle looked to Rumpelstiltskin, watching the pleasure warm his face. He enjoyed it, this fear – she could feel his power humming about him as if feeding off the beggars fears, powering him.

"She's everything I have…" he had been saying, tears pouring down his face as he was describing the child that had come ill with a disease that had battered his small village to the west of the Dark Castle. He begged the Dark One for his help, for mercy on the innocent child.

"Legend tells of your…your great power. You can stop wars with a wave of the hand, heal the sick without touching 'em." He pathetically lowered his head as he begged for the life of his daughter.

Bell was deeply moved by the man, heartbroken for his pain – but she feared that her master did not share in her empathy. His smile only widened at the man's story, the amber in his eye glinting.

"So, you want me to snap my fingers, make the sickness leave the village."

The beggar said no more, only nodded pathetically, his whole body shaking.

"Well, you have heard correctly. I can indeed heal your child, and the whole village, and I don't even have to leave the warmth of this fire." Rumpelstiltskin gestured to the fire, the blaze roared loudly at the movement, the flames licking upwards toward the ceiling in a flash before returning to their steady glow. Rumpelstiltskin sauntered over to the fire, his hand reaching deep into the coals, while he watched Belle's face paled in horror a gasp escaping from her lips, her hand reaching out to him as if to stop him from burning himself. He smile widely at her and winked as he quickly pulled his hand out, revealing a vial of some form of orange liquid, the vial glowing for a second before returning to a more normal state. With a skip in his step he danced over to the beggar and produced the vial in front of his face.

"A Healing elixir, just for your sweet girl. Only one drop will heal all ales, she will never be sick again. You can even spare some for the whole village." His smile grew wicked as he leaned closer, his nose wrinkling as he spoke, "or you can just keep it for yourself. For a rainy day." He graciously deposited the vial into the man's hand. His face was open in shock as we looked at the liquid inside and then back at the Dark One who was now tapping his long fingers together in front of his face, an impish laugh escaping him.

The man's face melted as he remembered the rest of the tales he had heard of the Dark One.

"What do you want in exchange?" his fear had come back to his face, his hands shaking.

Belle felt useless just standing there. She had not the courage to move, simply watching the events unfold before her, her throat was dry in anticipation. What would he have to give, she knew it had to be something steep as it looked like the man could offer nothing in exchange; he seemed to know this himself though he dared not voice his concerns.

The smile never left Rumpelstiltskin's face as he moved toward the double doors and opened them with a twist of the wrist.

"You came by the castle very easily, beggar. I cannot have people thinking that they can just barge in whenever they want, startling and then taking advantage of the help." He flourished his hand in Belle's direction, as he spun back around, mock horror on his face, his eyes still danced with wicked glee though.

"I would like, your silence, Beggar."

Relief washed over the man's face as he nodded furiously, he could keep a secret, not tell a soul. He knew he could do it.

"Of course, oh Dark One. I promise, my lips are sealed."

Rumpelstiltskin lowered his chin, giving his smile a more menacing appearance; chills ran down Belles spine at the look in his eyes. He was more frightening now than she had yet to witness.

"Yes." Then he gestured with his hand, the beggar suddenly collapsing to the ground, his back facing Belle. She let out a small cry and hurried over to where the man leaning, ready to help him up. When she reached down to help him up she let out a startled gasp, her hands quickly moving away from the man as she stumbled back, almost running into Rumpelstiltskin who had giggled again, clapping his hands. The man's mouth was disappearing, the skin melting as he tried in vain to open and close his mouth, hand frantically pulling at the place where his chapped lips had once been. Now the skin had bubbled over, his mouth was completely gone, all Belle could hear were muffled cries, his eyes wide in horror as he tried desperately to speak, hands feeling where his mouth had been, the vial on the floor in front. She was horrified but couldn't look away; her breathing became rapid as she tried to fathom what she had witnessed in front of her. In a puff of smoke the beggar and the vial were gone; the room was once again empty of the poor man who had stumbled into the castle.

Rumpelstiltskin appeared unmoved by what had occurred before him and simply sauntered over to the tea cup he had abandoned, almost making Belle stumble when he brushed past her. He stared at the spot where the man had been standing, then watched as Rumpelstiltskin as he poured himself another cup of tea from the pot that had remained by the side of the leather chair undisturbed. He took a taste then made a face at Belle, who was still dumbstruck.

"This tea is horrible, next time don't boil the water too hard." And he was back over to his spinning wheel, as if nothing had happened.

Belle recalled the events of that day as she wandered down the third long corridor she had come across in the labyrinth of the castle. The look on the man's face as his mouth melted was burned into Belle's memory.

The Dark One, he had called Rumpelstiltskin. She understood the title now, why her father had shrunk in fear each time he whispered her new masters' name. Never had she witnessed darkness like that – not since Gaston's beastly attack on her and his demise. She closed her eyes as the recalled that night, a night she had tried desperately to push from her memory. She could still feel the cold biting her throat, the grass beneath her and the pain of Gaston's desire as he bruised her bosom with his mouth. Belle took a sharp inhale as the fear overpowered her once more. No, she would not be afraid, that was a different Belle- Belle the fearful little girl, the delicate flower.

Belle grasped at a small side table that sat under a large painting in the hallway she was moving through, trying to steady her breathing and remove the fear of that night away from her memory, erase it. That was not who she was anymore, she whispered to herself, staring at the painting in front of her. It depicted a statuesque woman, blazing red hair flowed around her, and she had on a steely gaze, a whisper on a smile on her face. She looked strong and confident, her head held high and proud. That was who Belle was, that was who she wanted to be. Brave and strong, not afraid ever again. She was not a delicate flower, but a strong and beautiful rose with thorns protecting its stem from any harm. Belle smiled as her fear of almost two years ago vanished and was replaced with new strength. Nodding to the portrait of the lady she turned on her heel and ambled confidently down the hallway, trying each and every door, seeing what was inside. Rumpelstiltskin was indeed the Dark One and a monster she decided as she tried another door that was locked, much to her disappointment. He was not a man, but a wicked monster, she told herself as she found a door that had opened for her. Smiling she entered the room, which was caked in dust. All the furniture was covered with a thin sheet of cloth – as if shielded from the dirt. Belle furrowed her brow, none of the other rooms had their furniture covered, the dust had just settled and ruined them, why was this room different.

Checking behind her to be sure she was alone (which she foolishly remembered, she was) and she moved into the room, her skirts unsettling the dust that had formed on the warm brown rugs adorning the floor. To her left was a dresser, neatly displaying trinkets and toys, methodologically positioned. Lifting the sheet from the largest piece of furniture in the room, she uncovered a bed made for a child. Her eyes widened at this discovery – the bed displayed an elaborate headboard with images of knights battling dragons, and princesses in tall towers leaning out presenting flowers to their beau's. Belle gently touched the paint on the bed and then moved to the armour that stood in the corner. Opening it she revealed a closet full of clothing, the moth balls tickling her nose. The clothing was too small to belong to an adult she concluded, fingering the fine fabric of a small tunic that was carefully hung up, little bits of gold glinted in the seams. Belle traced a hand along the dusty table top, playing with a toy horse that was thick with dust.

This room was lovingly decorated, and carefully preserved. She felt her heart swell as she glanced around the room again, confusion and curiosity mingled together to form a tight knot in her chest as she gently closed the door behind her. Looking to her left she found a set of stairs leading downwards to the lower floor. "That was not there before…" she said to herself as she moved toward the stairs, glancing back at the door of the child's bedroom. Blinking she set back down the stairs in search of a way back to the kitchens so she could boil some tea and wonder at the room she had discovered.

"Rumpelstiltskin, who are you?" she said, trailing a hand along the bannister.


	6. For the Love of Books

**DISCLAIMER: Okay so I have done a bit of backtracking with my story, scrapping my last two published chapters. All apologies! I didn't like the way my other two chapters had turned out as they were way too similar to the television series direction and I felt a wee bit of writers block because of it, so I trashed those two, and amalgamated them into this chapter. **

**Again I apologise, enjoy!**

Her heart quickened in her chest as she raced down the spiral stone steps, trying her best not to miss one of the warped steps and fall. She came to another small window laced with diamond lattice and she quickly raised the sleeve of her blue dress and wiped away at the frost that had gathered within the tiny diamonds to peer out at the surroundings and Belle felt her heart fall once again. She was no longer looking out onto the east wing of the Castle grounds but rather the southern part, where the overgrown kitchen gardens were kept. How was this possible?

Belle had been descending downwards in a spiral for what appeared to be hours, each time she came across another window she was looking out onto a different part of the castle, at a different level. In a panic Belle once again raced down the stairs, her hand burning from gripping the rope that hung to the wall, acting as a bannister. She could feel the blood trickle from an open wound on her palm but she paid no heed; she needed to escape the eternal stair and find a way back to her sanity.

As the months of her chosen captivity pressed onwards, Belle came to realise that the Castle itself appeared to have a mind of its own; always changing its form and Belle only assumed that the Dark Ones magic was the cause. A plan to drive those that dared entered its walls into insanity? Was Belle just one of many other maids and poor souls tricked and stolen into the captivity of the Dark Castle? Was this punishment?

Belle stifled a despairing sob as she looked through another window only to find herself facing the western wall, this time it appeared she was two stories higher than before, though she had been descending the stair the whole time. She took a few staggering steps downward but had to stop herself, and rest against the cool grey brick, urging herself to breath slowly and deeply lest she faint. Belle collapsed on the steps and let everything go, all her fears and sorrow. She hadn't realised how exhausting it was trying to hide her fright from Rumpelstiltskin, instead opting to hold her chin high, always making as much eye contact as she could handle. She could tell it unnerved him a bit, and so she kept at it, always thanking him when he gave her a new order, smiling whenever he entered the room (though she never let it reach her eyes). But it wasn't her open defiance of her Master which landed her stuck in the eternal staircase of the castle, but rather her curiosity breaking the patience of the beast- a single question. Whose room did Belle stumble across?

Belle had placed the silver tea tray on the table next to Rumpelstiltskin's spinning wheel with a purposefully clumsy clang making his dark eyes dart over to her in annoyance. Instead of taking a few steps back as she ought to have done, Belle sat on the straw covered ground at his feet, facing him and delicately fanning her skirts around herself to secure her modesty. What she was quite sure she was appropriately sitting, she silently turned her large eyes up to the Dark One. They sat there for a small while, Rumpelstiltskin's hands frozen on the spinning wheel before him and Belle staring into his face. She could tell by the twitch in the right side of his mouth that Rumpelstiltskin was not at all comfortable with the way Belle was surveying him just then.

"Did you build this castle?" She asked innocently, the first one to break the silence. He narrowed his eyes and slowly reached for his cup of tea, stirring loudly and dropping his spoon with a clang back to the tray.

"No." was his curt reply behind porcelain and Belle pursed her lips slightly.

"So you stole it." She stated.

"I _procured _it." He sneered, taking a long drink of the tea before placing it back in its saucer. Belle was surprised that her master had answered her that much, she had expected him to shoo her out or threaten to kill her for the 100th time that month, but instead he stared at her as if interested in where the conversation was going, and Belle made the mistake to feel confident in her pursuit of knowledge.

_Curiosity is the downfall of the innocent._

"I came across a room while I was cleaning. It was different from the rest." She said at last, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she recalled the child's bedroom. Rumpelstiltskin raised his brows then began to spin once more, not saying a word. Belle focused on Rumpelstiltskin's swift movements, his lean fingers twisting the fibres of the straw with skill and precision. She returned her gaze to his face, determined to see his every reaction as she spoke.

"It wasn't cluttered with junk like the others. It could have been livable, or at least was at one point…" Belle trailed off, tapping her fingers nervously on her knees. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't flinched at all, and Belle wondered if he had begun to tune her out as he usually did, so she continued, this time at a slower pace.

"It looked like a child's room, a boy's room with toys and clothing and everything…"

Rumpelstiltskin abruptly stopped his spinning and Belle felt as if all the air had left the room. For a suffocating moment neither one of them moved or spoke, only the sounds of the fire cracking in the background accompanied the two sitting in the corner. Belle sat holding her breath for a short while, waiting for a response, which felt like an eternity to arrive.

"You went into the room." his voice was almost at a whisper, a dark look eclipsed his features making him more fearful than any time Belle had witnessed before. Her mind was screaming for her to run away or hide but she stayed where she was, eyes securely fixed upon the Dark Ones darkened face.

"Whose room is it?" Belle pushed her heart beating louder and faster with each moment. Rumpelstiltskin stood then so abruptly Belle found herself falling backwards, catching herself on the cold stone at the last minute.

"Never EVER go to that part of the castle again!" The magic energy which buzzed around the Dark One extinguished all the light and warmth from the room, till just his cold low voice was heard along with the thud of his leather soles against the stone floor as he took one quick step toward Belle on each of his words. Belle quickly scrambled backwards as fast as she could – a sort of crab crawl away from the beast. She felt the press of the wall against her back too soon and she ungracefully moving to her feet just as Rumpelstiltskin made his final stand before her, grabbing onto each of her wrists and roughly pinning them to either side of her face against the wall, the leather of his vest pressing against the front of her chest crudely, forcing the back of her head to make contact with the wall in response.

Belle gritted her teeth and winced against the pain, her chest heaving heavily against his weight. His face was so close to hers that Belle could see every detail of his uneven skin, and the eyes which were so dark now that Belle could swear she saw her own small reflection inside them. They stood there in stubborn silence, both breathing heavily and for so long with her hands raised above herself that Belle slowly lost the feeling in the tips of her fingers. She wanted desperately to check to make sure her hands weren't turning blue but she didn't have the courage to move her tense glaze from his face. Anger, fear and pain flashed quickly through the dark eyes of her Master.

Rumpelstiltskin's brow twitched ever so slightly and both of them became very aware of each other's heavy breathing, now more of a simultaneous panting and slowly Belle realised she was inappropriately close to her Master. She could feel the warmth of his hands on her wrists, the pressure of his body against hers and the heavy beating of his heart; she was surprised that the beast even had a pulse. Belle flushed red then, chiding herself silently, _of course he had a pulse._

Her blush must have unnerved Rumpelstiltskin, probably assuming the rouging of her cheeks was due to their very intimate position, and he quickly removed himself from her person and quickly drew away from her, his right hand twitching idly at his side. Belle lowered her arms back to her sides, the tingling sensation telling her that she would soon regain the feeling to her hands, and slumped against the wall feeling a lump forming in her throat.

Averting his gaze to somewhere to the side of Belle's face, Rumpelstiltskin raised his right hand and pointed at her, "Never go to that part of the castle again." He stated in an unsteady whisper, backing up then returning to his wheel, opening and closing his fists to stretch his fingers.

Belle felt her lower lip twitch slightly, wetness welling in her eyes. Determined to not let him see her tears, Belle quickly slid against the wall, and left the room as fast as her shaking legs would take her, never daring to wipe her face until she was a safe distance away from him.

That had been two days prior, and Belle had not seen Rumpelstiltskin since then. She rested the back of her head against the brick and closed her eyes despairingly. She would starve in that stairwell, she knew it. Never had she come across a doorway leading outwards to freedom, Belle even forgot how she ended up inside the stairwell in the first place. How long had she been in there? Was she wandering for half an hour? Half a day? Belle rubbed her tired eyes with the palm of her hand, hissing in pain when she remembered the rope burns. Was this punishment? Had Rumpelstiltskin finally tired of his new pet? Belle dejectedly stood from her spot and moved slowly around another bend in the stair, kicking her blue skirts out from her feet so she wouldn't trip on them. She stopped dead in her tracks when she beheld the first door she had seen all day. As if afraid it was a mirage, Belle hesitantly reached out and gently felt the wood of the door, and noting the very real feel of the rough oak, Belle gave a decent shove, swinging the door out and allowing a cool gust of air to fill the stale stairwell.

Belle rushed forward and left the stair, shoving the door closed behind her as if afraid the castle would change its mind and suck Belle back into her spirally tomb. She found herself standing in a great hall with colourful ceiling high windows that, in the daylight, would lighten the entire hall with many colours. It appeared, however, that evening had decided to descend upon the Dark Castle, and unfortunately Belle could not make out which parts of the gardens this hallway faced.

At the end of the corridor stood two very large doors, similar to the entrance way to Rumpelstiltskin's great hall where most of the events of the castle took place (oddly enough, considering the size of the castle). With a small shove she hesitantly entered the room and gasped.

On very shaky legs, Belle slowly moved forward, trying to slow her breathing as she took in the massive library that opened before her. At least four levels made up the entirety of the room, each level packed to the ceiling with books. On the main floor were a few shelves of books and several alcoves that curved into comfortable sitting areas, each holding its own window with stained glass depicting their own stories and probably casting very delightful lights during the daytime, and glancing upwards Belle found herself staring at three massive skylights, the stars in the sky shining brightly at that time and moonlight streamed down into the room. It was an exquisite library, far more luxurious than any library she had seen and much larger than the one at her father's old manor. And standing by the massive fireplace at the end of the room, stood Rumpelstiltskin, book open in his palm and idling fiddling with the mantle clock.

Belle quickly darted her eyes around the room speechless as she slowly tried to process everything before her. Rumpelstiltskin had sensed her presence and snapped the book in his hands shut. With a slight smile he slowly made his way toward Belle cautiously, every so often dragging a hand along the table in the center of the room strewn with books. He studied the awed Belle with a look that Belle could only describe as severe hesitance.

"This is…" Belle stuttered quietly, motioning around the room. "It's…" she faltered, now looking at Rumpelstiltskin who rested a good ten steps in front of her, his hands clasped in front of him in silence.

"It's a library, Dearie." He said a bit too harshly and he furrowed his brow immediately after in regret.

"It's beautiful." She gasped. Rumpelstiltskin blinked and then twitched his mouth into a guilty smile.

"I didn't know you had a library."

"You didn't ask."

They both stood there staring at each other, Belle more confused than ever, and Rumpelstiltskin still looking unsure of himself. Belle began to smile slowly, a bewildered look pressed in her gaze as she tried to find the words to describe how she was feeling. Did he allow her the access to the library? Was this a gift of sorts or apology? How did he know? She could feel the warm pools of tears forming again in her eyes and she burned a bit with embarrassment, blinking uncontrollably in an attempt to brush the tears away.

"This is silly. I don't know why I'm crying." She chuckled half-heartedly, using the back of her hand to wipe a tear that fell to her cheek. With a trembling lip and a smile on her face Belle moved toward Rumpelstiltskin and without a thought wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a tight hug of gratitude.

Rumpelstiltskin froze in place, his arms to his sides unsure of what to do. Belle held on tightly, smiling wider and wider finding comfort in the creature that just a few days prior had scared her into tears. Finally Belle felt Rumpelstiltskin relax under her grip, allowing her to continue her embrace. She pulled back and wiped more of her tears from her face, sheepishly laughing to herself. Concern now crossed Rumpelstiltskin's face as he looked at her rope burned palms now dried with blood.

"Your injured." He said, grasping at her hands very delicately. Belle wanted to jerk away but instead allowed him to inspect her self-inflicted injuries. With a wave of his hand, Belle felt a slight tingling sensation and when she looked down, all trace of her wounds were completely gone. Belle's breath hitched in her throat as she looked disbelievingly up at Rumpelstiltskin. His eyes were a deep amber colour now as they held Belles gaze, and she felt a strong sense of warmth for the man before her. She wasn't sure if she liked him, but he had shown her a kindness that a true beast or monster would never have given her– though she was determined to remember that he had yet to apologise for anything he had done.

"You can be kind when you want to be." Belle stated, noting a flicker in his eye.

"I am not kind." He nearly spat, and Belle chuckled, shaking her head. "What?" he asked sharply.

"You say that, Rumpelstiltskin, and yet here you are showing me kindness." She wagged a finger at him, her other hand on her hip.

"I don't know what you are referring to, maid. This is but another room for you to clean." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Belle clucked her tongue and bounced onto her toes slyly. "You are giving me a library by way of apologising."

"I am not giving you anything." He fumed, circling around Belle and heading for the door.

Belle only smirked and quirked a brow, picking up a book from the table in front of her.

"Of course, Rumple. Whatever helps the big bad Dark One sleep at night." She chuckled into the book as she crossed the room to plop down onto an ottoman that was facing the blazing fireplace.

Rumpelstiltskin huffed for a moment in place, opening and shutting his mouth like a fish before finally growling in response, snapping his fingers and disappearing into a plume of smoke.

Belle glanced up at the spot that he was once standing in and bit her lip, a knowing smile on her lips, before returning to the new treasure in her now healed hands.


	7. Morbid Curiosities

**Note: Gah! I am a horrible horrible person for making you wait! I have been toying with this chapter for far too long, the ideas in my mind refusing to spill into words! but alas I have it completed and here it is! p.s. this story is getting pretty dark, pretty fast and it will only get darker dearies, much darker. **

"Where do you go?"

Belle watched as the Dark One pinched and pulled the straw as it fed through the spinning wheel, the movements of his hands fluid and elegant, a stark contrast with the mottled graying skin on the backs of his hands. Belle imagined that if the windows weren't blocked by heavy drapes, then the afternoon sun would probably make the golden thread sparkle. Rumpelstiltskin paused his spinning and blinked absently at Belle who had been sitting casually on top of the long dining table, with both legs tucked under her blue skirts.

"When you spin, where do you go?" Belle asked again.

Rumpelstiltskin frowned and turned back to his wheel, once again holding the golden threat between two long fingers and pushing the wheel with his free hand.

"I thought I told you not to sit on my table." Was his only reply as he continued to pinch, pull and spin, pinch, pull and spin. Belle ignored the curtness in his voice and jumped off the table, her forgotten book sliding from her lap and hitting the floor with a loud smack. Rumpelstiltskin glared sharply at Belle and Belle glared back, though she could not help the tiny smile that twitched at her lips. For a moment she thought she saw a slight quirk of her employer's mouth as well, but whatever it was quickly covered by another scowl as he returned his attention to the wheel.

Belle found herself once again entranced in the delicate movements of Rumpelstiltskin's fingers and the comforting whirr of the wheel. As she got closer, Belle tried to see where the straw ended and the gold began, but Rumpelstiltskin moved much too fast for her to catch the trick- the moment of magic.

Without thinking, Belle stood directly beside the Dark One, bending down to closely inspect the thread, her now very long hair nearly brushing the back of Rumpelstiltskin's grey hand.

"How do you do it?" Belle glanced at Rumpelstiltskin who by now was watching her instead of the wheel, a puzzled look on his face.

"Do what?"

"Turn straw into gold? Every day, I try to catch the moment when the straw is no longer straw and is gold instead. I've never seen anything like it "she said with a look of wonder on her face.

"Have you not? What a shock." Rumpelstiltskin smirked and then continued to feed more straw into his wheel. Belle rolled her eyes and returned her attention to his hands twisting and pulling.

"You know," she began, "In all my life, I've never witnessed magic, never even knew it existed, it certainly never existed in the Marshlands..." Belle trailed off as she bent down once more to get an even closer view of the gold thread.

"Not anymore at least." Rumpelstiltskin responded, slowly winding up the newly finished golden chord around an empty spool. Belle blinked at him and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, his comment not lost on her at all.

"What do you mean, not anymore?" she asked with wide eyes, "Was there magic where I'm from? What happened to it… where did it go?" she spoke hurriedly and followed as the Dark One stood from his stool and headed toward one of the side tables to place the spool along with ten others prepared for a deal he had glimpsed of in the future. He frowned at Belle when he turned around, finding her directly behind him, her eyes full of that familiar curiosity and desire for a good story.

Belle couldn't help the small smile that began to lift the corners of her mouth as she watched Rumpelstiltskin narrow his eyes in thought, his arms crossing over his gold brocade vest and his long fingers gently tapping his elbow. Every day she felt more and more confident in her ability to scope out the small nuances of the creature that had bound her to eternal servitude. She knew that Rumpelstiltskin loved a telling a good story just as much as she loved hearing them – his stories in particular began to slowly become her favorites to hear for Rumpelstiltskin had centuries worth of tales and refused to sensor his stories to the delight of Belle who felt both scandalized and thrilled at the subject matter; Nothing in her Father's library at home was close to being as interesting as his tales of deals with Kings and paupers, of Princes and Dragons and Evil Queens.

Rumpelstiltskin appeared to have come to a decision and with a slight grumble he tilted his head to the side and peered deeply into Belle's eyes, the seriousness in his look immediately wiping the smirk on her face. Belle felt almost hypnotized under his gaze, and the amber of his eyes darkened ever so slightly into a warmer shade, drawing her in and leaving her heart pounding a few beats faster than normal.

"The Marshland's were once rich in Magic Dearie, didn't you know that?" he asked with that wicked giggle that never failed to send shivers down Belle's spine. Belle huffed indignantly and folded her arms across her chest, for some reason feeling ashamed of her lack of knowledge.

"I think your lying." She replied haughtily, "I would have known if there was magic once, I would have read about it or… something." She frowned when Rumpelstiltskin let out another impish laugh.

"What need do I have to lie, Dearie?" he asked with a wrinkle of his thin nose and a thin smile. Belle took a deep breath and clenched her jaw, conceding to his logic.

"What do you know of the Cleric's?" he asked suddenly, moving lightly across the room with elegance only Rumpelstiltskin could pull off naturally. Belle distractedly watched as he glided across the floor, and she realized with a start that she was being abandoned and quickly ran to catch up as Rumpelstiltskin soundlessly made his way up the main staircase.

"Cleric's? What Cleric's?" Belle called to him, out of breath and hitching up her blue skirts. She made a mental note to shorten them a bit and maybe loose a layer of petticoats since winter was almost through (or so she hoped). Belle was startled when instead of turning left to go toward the East wing as she had thought, they turned right to head toward the Western Wing of the castle, a place she specifically remembered being told not to go to upon the first week she arrived, and though she considered herself brave for the most part, the Western Wing had always felt a bit unnerving and she gladly agreed that the Western Wing was not the place for her. She halted at the landing and watched nervously as Rumpelstiltskin continued up toward the forbidden wing. It took only five steps for him to realize Belle had halted and he spun around on his heel and tilted his head at his maid.

"Coming Dearie?"

Belle gulped and clumsily attempted to mask her nervousness by clenching her jaw and attempting a nonchalant look, but she knew that nothing got past Rumpelstiltskin and she furrowed her brow when a wide grin slid upon his face.

"Afraid are we? My my my, what a surprise." He tittered teasingly as he sauntered down the stairs toward her with a smug look. Belle took a tentative step backward when he reached the landing and she found herself flinching when he held out a hand to her. Instead of her reluctance making his grin wider, as she expected it to, something different flashed across his amber eyes, though his smile still remained plastered on.

"It's alright to be a little bit afraid from time to time," His voice was low and surprisingly human sounding, a vast difference from his usual impish octave. He leaned in slightly dipping his chin down a bit so as to meet her eye to eye, "especially since I enchanted this Wing to keep intruders out. I'm glad to see that the enchantments still hold, now aren't you just a little bit curious Belle?"

Belle startled at the use of her name and contemplated his outstretched hand for a moment before looking back up into Rumpelstiltskin's face. She could taste his dare on the tip of her tongue, sharp and exciting and it made her heart beat just a bit faster once more. Belle lifted her left hand hesitantly and she could feel a cold clamminess build upon the palm, her fingers going slightly numb at the adrenaline bursting fourth. Closing her eyes for a moment, Belle took a deep breath and then gingerly placed her small pale hand into the palm of his grey green palm and for an instant all nerves left her and she felt a cool calm descend upon her heart. He grinned then, like a cat who caught a bird but Belle could only return his grin, much to her own surprise and by the slight raise of his brow his own surprise as well.

Rumpelstiltskin tucked her arm through the crook of his elbow like a gentleman escorting his lady to the dance-floor and silently they made their way up higher and higher. Every few steps Belle felt a wave of sickly dread flow over her, her stomach turning knots over and over and her heart pounding in her chest.

"Why would you enchant an entire wing of the castle?" Belle asked while clinging embarrassingly tight to the crook of Rumpelstiltskin's arm while another nauseous wave of dread washed over her.

"Why not?" was his infuriating reply and Belle grunted with displeasure, her mouth tight in a straight unamused light. When they made it to a darkened corridor, Belle felt Rumpelstiltskin drop her arm and she glanced at him curiously. Without a word Rumpelstiltskin produced a golden candelabrum with three large white candles, shining bright and letting off just enough light to form a warm circle around Belle as she grasped the handle of it. Rumpelstiltskin silently gestured with his left hand and dropped halfway into a bow, encouraging her to lead the way and with a slight hesitation in her step, Belle found herself slowly inching down the Corridor with Rumpelstiltskin behind her moving among the shadows.

The walls were covered in the most fascinating and intricately woven tapestries, their colours shining brightly as the light from her Candelabra lit the way. She found herself mesmerized by the shining metallic thread that appeared to weave in and out of each covering giving off an almost lifelike glow, as if the sun itself was woven within the fabric. She paused at a particularly large tapestry on her left depicting a glorious ball held within what appeared to be the most extravagant garden's Belle had ever laid eyes on. The figures danced across the length of the long tapestry and Belle could almost hear the playing of the lute and the tinkling of champagne glasses.

"It's beautiful…" Belle murmured, leaning into the lower border to get a better look at the woven golden threads that fastened the entire thing together. She looked back to where Rumpelstiltskin was standing behind her, a safe distance away but close enough for her light to shine off his shoes.

"Is this your thread?" she asked in amazement, glancing back at the familiar gold stitching.

Rumpelstiltskin let off a surprised sound, "Very good Miss French, top marks." He replied with thick sarcasm, but Belle ignored him and let out the breath she had been holding. She smiled and stood back up again facing him, the dimple in her cheek deepening.

"This is extraordinary!" she exclaimed, "I had no idea you were so talented. Is this what you do with all that thread? How do you do it? Do you have a loom? How long does it take you to make something like this?"

Rumpelstiltskin stood silent as she fired off one question after another, barely stopping for breath, his face showing no real emotion except for a tiny twitch in his brow and at the side of his mouth that only Belle would have been able to notice. Belle stopped and narrowed eyes, "Is this why you enchanted the wing? To protect your tapestries?" When he didn't respond Belle let out an unimpressed sound and continued to examine the Ball scene. "I don't understand, what does this have to do with magic in the Marshlands?" she asked while tracing a finger along one of the almost lifelike rose bushes before standing up again. When she looked back to where Rumpelstiltskin was standing she found herself staring at an empty spot, the Dark One nowhere to be found.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" she said nervously, whipping her head to look around. Without him standing near, Belle felt a tremor of fear pierce through her. She spun on her heel and looked down the opposite way they had come.

"Rumpelstiltskin? This isn't funny." She called out placing a hand on her hip and listening intently. After a while of stomping her foot and biting her lower lip Belle looked back the way she had come and then down the way she was going. The silence was deafening and she could hear the blood rushing to her ears and feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest. Her breathing came out in heavy pants as she slowly moved down the corridor toward where Rumpelstiltskin had wanted her to go.

"You should be going back the way you came, " she told herself as she put one foot before the other, glancing back behind in as if to catch her shadow trying to escape from her. "You shouldn't be moving further down the possibly haunted and definitely enchanted corridor, you should go back the way you came…" Belle tried to calm her nerves by voicing her thoughts, but her thoughts and her feet were moving in opposite directions and Belle found herself finally facing the end of the hall and she was only slightly surprised to find herself at a dead end. She could have sworn she heard thunder crash somewhere to her let and she jumped a bit at the sound, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end and her arms prickling as if someone ran a hand up her arm. But there was no other sound of thunder and no windows available to her in order to see out of anyway.

"The darkest part of the Dark Castle…" she whispered to herself as she glanced at the dead end. This wall also featured a giant Tapestry handing from the high ceiling straight down to the floor and expanded to the very corners of the single wall, the rim overlapping with the other tapestries hanging. Unlike the other tapestries that covered the walls which depicted Pastoral romance and elegant Ball's; this one was entirely grotesque and make Belle's blood run cold.

Belle wanted to avert her eyes but like with the others she felt herself drawn in. The entire tapestry depicted what appeared to be a massive torture room, the dark colours blending together to create a bloodied scene of pain and gore. Men hung from hooks which dug into their backs naked with faced twisted in pain, another man was being drawn and quartered in the center of the bloodied room, his face holding an eerily calm expression upon his face. Belle's lip trembled and her heart quickened as her eyes moved from men handing off of pillars and being whipped with torn backs, another was being flayed alive and a few more appearing to be roasting over an open fire, pure anguish on their faces. The detail was disturbing and Belle felt herself feeling queasy.

"Do you not like it?"

Belle cried out and spun around, her heart painfully pounding in her chest cavity as she gasped for the breath she had been holding. Rumpelstiltskin was watching her stone faced from the corner of the room, one leg casually draped over the other and hands crossed over his chest, the blood red of his silk sleeves almost looking black in the dark corner. Belle shot him a venomous look and calmed her breathing.

"Where have you been?" she asked breathless and confused at the sense of relief she felt when she saw him there. Rumpelstiltskin pushed off the wall and stood next to Belle, staring at the tapestry with cold detachment. Belle could feel the heat radiating from him and she realised then that she was freezing in that corridor. She stared at his profile for a while, attempting to decipher his expression, the light from the candelabra in her hand danced off the contours of his face and emphasized the narrow hook of his nose and the slight roughness of his skin. She tried to picture what he would look like if he were human, if only as an attempt to tare her thoughts away from the tapestry of torture before them.

"Did you make this one as well?" she asked Rumpelstiltskin's profile. His mouth twitched upward for a brief moment before his eyes came to rest upon her face.

"I did indeed. Titled it as well, _Repurgatione Ordinem…"_

"…Purging of the order?" Belle responded with and Rumpelstiltskin let out an amused sound. Belle nodded and stepped closer to the fabric, this time examining all its parts. She imagined she heard whispers coming from the tapestry but she immediately shook off the notion and focused on the details.

"What do you make of it?"

"It's grotesque." She murmured straight away, her quick response earning her an eerie chuckle.

"It's no less than they deserve." Was his response and Belle furrowed her brow in confusion. What did _that _mean?

"Who?" she stood and turned her head along with the candelabra to light Rumpelstiltskin's face. His grin was dark and menacing, like he was contemplating a much anticipated murder. He blinked and took one step forward,

"Why, the Clerics of course." He responded with a flourish of his hand as if it were the most obvious assumption. Belle blinked at him and returned her attention to the tapestry, going over every book she read that mentioned cleric's – not many coming to mind – and at the same time she examined the details of the Tapestry, took in the figures, the faces, the clothing, every detail almost life like and sickening. She found herself examining the tapestry closer than ever and a movement out of the corner of her eye made her gasp out loud.

"He moved!" she whispered frantically, eyes wide as saucers as she stared at the upturned face of a man who was in the process of being disemboweled. She could have sworn that his head was facing the opposite direction when she first examined that portion of the tapestry, but now it appeared he was looking right at her. She nearly chocked on a scream when she realized that now every face in the tapestry was turned to her, watching her every move and the whispers became louder and louder.

"That-that's impossible…" Belle trembled and backed away with jerky steps, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, the light from the candelabra shaking from the tremors in her hand.

"It's not impossible, it's magic." Rumpelstiltskin was closer than Belle had anticipated, his warm breath brushing past the shell of her ear and she let out a cry of surprise. She spun around and stared at Rumpelstiltskin who was now examining her closely, as if she were a painting in a museum.

"I don't understand." She said with small quick shakes of her head. Rumpelstiltskin shrugged and Belle was taken aback by the innocent movement.

"They needed to be punished for the crimes they committed against the people, against those with magic." He took one step toward her and Belle automatically took one shaky step backwards. Rumpelstiltskin stilled for a moment, a flash of surprise crossing his face before he set his features back into the darkening calm they were before. "It didn't matter how innocent, how pure or light the magic. They believed that magic was inherently evil and required torture and what they called cleansing with whips and fire in order to purify the soul. Death was too good for them I'm afraid…"

Belle felt her back brush against the horrid tapestry and she jumped away as if bitten by a static shock, she didn't want to be anywhere near the thing.

"So you-you put them…" Belle stammered uncontrollably as the realization dawned on her. "You wove them into the tapestry? They're alive?" she whispered and covered her open mouth with her free hand.

"Torture for all eternity. I thought it was fitting. You never know what happens on the other side after you die. I figured it was best just to … control the situation myself. Make sure they pay their dues so to speak." Rumpelstiltskin grinned, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"that's horrible…" she whispered faintly and Rumpelstiltskin's face darkened, the amber disappearing from his eyes and his lips thinning out even more into a straight line.

"Would you have preferred to let them be free? Hmm?" he growled. Belle clenched her jaw and turned her back on Rumpelstiltskin, no longer willing to look at his face.

"No one deserves this…" Belle whispered despairingly looking once more upon the strained faces of the eternally tortured Cleric's, the horrifying mutilations all at the hand of the last man Belle will ever know. She gasped when she felt Rumpelstiltskin's hands grab her shoulders and spin her around to face him. The candelabra in her left hand dropped to the ground with a large crash, all but one of the thick candles extinguishing its flame. She could feel his claws squeezing her shoulders roughly and she winced but refused to cry out, meeting his glare with her own glare of defiance.

"Do you know what they would do to you Belle?" he snarled, "If I had let them carry on with what they did, do you have any idea what sort of things they would do to that pretty face of yours, knowing your association with me?" Rumpelstiltskin breathed, his nose nearly touching her own. Belle let out a burst of air and shrugged out of Rumpelstiltskin's grip, clenching her fists. The last candle that remained lit rolled around on the ground, casting eerie shadows across the canvas of the tapestry of torture, the deranged faces of the eternally damned skidding around with what little light was left.

"No, Rumpelstiltskin. I can't say that I would know." Belle stuck out her chin defiantly, but her eyes betrayed her inward uneasiness. Rumpelstiltskin appeared to deflate before her and he took a step away from her evaluating her expression.

"Well I do Dearie. I have seen firsthand what they can do. And believe me, _that_" Rumpelstiltskin shoved a blackened finger toward the tapestry, not once tearing his eyes away from Belle, "is exactly what they deserve." He finished passionately, his chest heaving heavily as if he had just finished an arduous climb up the side of one of the mountains that surrounded the Castle. Belle was the first to break eye contact and she shifted nervously on her feet. She felt guilty, but for what reason she could not explain for even though his reasons felt sound, she still could not fathom anyone deserving such a punishment for there was good in everyone, there had to be.

"Do you ever use your magic for good?" she asked, again locking eyes with Rumpelstiltskin. He blinked at her in confusion, momentarily surprised at the question. He recovered quickly though,

"Not if I don't have to."

Belle raised her brow impertinently and she caught a hint of a smile within Rumpelstiltskin's eyes, the dark slowly dissipating and making room for the bits of amber that normally coloured his eyes.

"Why ever not?" she asked. Belle was curious to know his answer for over the past few weeks she had slowly begun to suspect that the Dark One was not as dark as he wanted people to believe. Indeed, he had a violence about him that made Belle uncomfortable and frightened, but then there were moments of quiet gentility and comfort emanating from him. Belle was concerned at the calming affect her Master had on her, at times feeling a sense of relief wash over her when she felt his presence or heard the spinning of his wheel. Not all of him was bad; she was determined to see that.

"I'm a monster, Dearie. There is nothing nice or good about me."

"That's a lie." Belle replied with enthusiasm. "You're not a monster. Not to me."

Rumpelstiltskin's mouth twitched a bit and once again he knit his brows together in a frustrated glare.

"Then you're a fool." He spat as he snapped his fingers and reassembled the candelabra the light brightening up the corridor and splashing along the bright Tapestries that hung on the walls.

"Perhaps I am. Or…" Belle shifted over to Rumpelstiltskin and looked up into his face, noticing his expression softening just a bit, the amber growing ever so brighter the nearer she got. "Or perhaps I'm right. And you are not as dark as you want everyone to believe." Belle creased her forehead and chewed on her lower lip in thought. "Though for what purpose, I don't think I will ever understand." She gave the tapestry one last look before turning her back on it forever.

Pursing her lips, Belle gave a sideways glance at Rumpelstiltskin. "So, you think I'm pretty?" she asked curiously. Rumpelstiltskin seemed surprised at her question and frowned down at her, his fingers dancing wildly at his side – a nervous habit he had.

"Out of everything I just told you, _that _is the only thing you took away from it?" he asked incredulously. "You are by far the oddest girl I have ever the misfortune to know…"

"I get that a lot." She sighed bluntly as she slid her arm through Rumpelstiltskin's elbow once more. His eyes followed the movement in bewildered wonder. She wanted to forget the horrid history lesson and half-truth's she was told that day, the garish misfortunes of Rumpelstiltskin's foes a topic too dark for her heart to handle. She looked at Rumpelstiltskin expectantly as he continued to stare down at her arm in his, as if disbelieving that she would ever instigate such an action and Belle nodded toward the exit, "Shall we go?"


	8. The Mirror

It wasn't working.

Belle slammed the book in frustration and slouched in her seat. She had drawn the curtains half closed around her in her favorite window seat in the Library - a habit of hiding while reading she picked up as a child and just never broke. Now a days she had no reason to hide away in order to be able to complete her chosen book in peace, but Belle still found herself curling up in the window, curtains partially drawn with just the tips of her shoes poking out. Maybe it was sentimentality, or perhaps some traditions would just never die.

Usually when Belle had something on her mind and wanted to push it aside, she picked up a book and got lost in the story. Often a happy ending and an adventure were just the thing to get her spirits lifted.

When Belle's mother died, it was her sister Josette who had placed the first book in Belle's hand. It was her eldest sister's way of keeping Belle distracted from the rushing groups of nurses and maids moving in and out of their mother's sick room. She remembered sleeping so soundly for the first time in weeks with the book clutched loosely to her chest, dreaming of happier days and childish adventures with Pirates.

But now when Belle picked up a book and escaping into the story, Belle found herself merely skimming the pages idly, the words fuzzy in her vision. For the past hour she had been trying to finish another chapter of the newest addition to her current book rotation - an exciting adventure novel with pages that smelled like a musky cellar and left Belle's fingertips a bit black from the aged parchment. Usually this was exactly the sort of novel Belle could easily finish in a single day, however on this day after reading the same paragraph for the fifth time, she realized that the words on the page were no longer making sense and finally she gave up with a frustrated groan.

_It was too quiet,_ she decided as she stood from her spot. The bones in her back cracked as she arched and stretched her arms over head.

"I need to get outside." Belle murmured as she pressed her forehead against the cool coloured glass and watched as the last of the light slowly died away behind the high mountain peaks in the distance.

Belle missed the smell of the trees that surrounded her manor home, the dew on her Mother's roses, and the familiar smell of her Father. She reached her hand upwards and began to twist and turn the blue gem on her necklace, the woven gold chain still sparkling like new and Belle smiled down at her own little piece of magic, before frowning at the remembrance of what it represented. She was never to leave. She wasn't sure the boundaries of the magic necklace, was it just the castle walls she couldn't cross? Was the outdoors entirely out of the question? She had forgotten to ask at the moment, too afraid to think clearly. She refused to even test it by stepping out the front doors in case she evaporated into thin air, or was ripped to shreds by magic...

Belle dropped the sapphire stone and stepped out of her window seat, turning to face the fireplace in her new home. She could almost picture Maurice relaxing on the sofa with his large legs resting on an ottoman, burgundy slippers with the hole in one of the toes on his feet, and a glass of scotch in his hands. Maybe he would be smoking on his pipe, a habit he tried to hide from Josette who would no doubt be scolding him if she had entered the library. She found the habit unbecoming, making sure her fiancé knew how she felt as well, complaining about the atrocious smell (a scent that Belle secretly loved).

Belle smiled a bit as she imagined the '_disappointed Mother_' face Josette would put on while scolding their Father. However her smile faded when she realized she forgot which shade of blue her sister's eyes were. Were they the same shade as Rosalind's or darker?

Belle inhaled a shaky breath, and wiped away unshed tears as she tore her gaze away from the sofa where the image of her Father began to fade. That was the problem. Every time she tried to picture her loved ones she would come to a blank with the details slowly fading away. That frightened Belle even more than any haunted hallway, or horror story Rumpelstiltskin shared, just to see her reaction. She even forgot what it was like just to be held by her father, cuddling with him on his chair and reading together under the fading light. Even Rosalind and Josette's constant bickering over frivolous things like boys and dresses made Belle ache for home.

She looked around the large library of the Dark Castle, glancing upwards at the stacks upon stacks of books that reached to the very top of the high ceilinged room and contemplated wandering upwards to find a new book. She had only been able to categorized only a small percentage of the lower stacks and had yet to even step foot higher up. Toward the right side of the massive stone fireplace was a spiral iron staircase that Belle headed over to. She climbed upwards, the clicking of her heels on the metal of the stairs the only sound echoing in the vast library.

The dust on the second level was thick and coated the ground and shelves in a thin layer of white. Belle sneezed several times as her skirts disturbed the layers of time and began to examine her surroundings.

In between each of the stacks was thick green curtains drawn tightly together, similar to the curtains that kept the windows in the main hall from letting in any natural light. Belle reached out and felt the soft velvet under her fingertips and marveled at the softness even under years of dust.

Curious as to what the curtains would reveal, she grasped the bottom of the curtain and slowly lifted the fabric to reveal a massive oval mirror. Belle's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the gilded mirror, for she had expected a window in the very least. With a frown Belle dropped the curtain and moved down the length of the isle to the next curtain. The exact same velvet fabric reached to the ground, and she lifted it to find yet another gilded mirror.

Between each stack was a green curtain and behind each green curtain was an identical mirror.

"Do I even want to know..." Belle stated standing back away from the final mirror.

This was not the first time she had found a mirror hidden under a curtain or drapery. Of course Belle had found it quite strange, an oddity to add to the mystery of the castle. Once she had a mind to ask Rumpelstiltskin why he hid his mirrors. Was it his reflection he didn't like? Maybe the mirrors held cursed people Rumpelstiltskin threw in when they broke a deal. Belle had shuttered at the thought, and always either forgot to ask or chickened out the last minute.

"Tomorrow, I will ask him tomorrow." She said to the empty room with a firm nod of her head as she traced a finger along the spines of several hard covered books. Each was ribbed in elegant golden detailing, the beautiful craftsmanship sending a tiny jolt of awe through Belle with each examination.

Belle pulled out a bright green leather bound book and idly skimmed through it before a twinkle of light caught her eye from behind the empty space on the shelf. Something was jammed at the back and hidden by the books. Placing her open book on a lower shelf, she reached in slowly and grasped the handle of a small mirror. The silver edging and handle were a dull grey, and around the handle there was a delicate thorny vine pressed into the silver, the vine twisting around the rim of the mirror and led to a single rose at the top. An ornate lion with worn features captured the handle of the mirror in its mouth and Belle traced a gentle finger reverently along the creature.

The mirror itself was dark and gave off no reflection which Belle attributed it to the age of the object, frowning at the murkiness of the glass. She delicately flipped the mirror over to study the back and she found faint lettering lightly pressed to the plating. Belle squinted her eyes as she tried to read the intricate cursive.

'_Welcome Beauty, banish fear,' _Belle began to decipher, her index finger keeping track of her location. '_You are Queen and mistress here. Speak your wishes; speak your will, swift obedience…' _Belle's frown deepened as she tried to catch the last few words; however the silver was so corroded that she was unable to read it without a thorough cleaning.

"Did you forget about our Dinner?" Rumpelstiltskin's voice echoed down below and Belle jolted and quickly slid the handheld mirror into one of her dress pockets before leaning over the banister to look downwards to where Rumpelstiltskin stood. He was thumbing through the book Belle had been trying to read earlier, the dragon hide jacket he wore only while doing deals tossed over the back of one of the leather couches next to him.

"I didn't know you would be back so soon." Belle said brightly, perhaps too brightly, and she tried not to grimace at the obvious falsity in her voice as she rested her forearms casually on the mahogany handrail.

Rumpelstiltskin looked upwards and narrowed his eyes.

"I said I would be gone for three days."

"It's only been two." she replied.

The corners of Rumpelstiltskin's mouth lifted into smug smile, and he tossed the book carelessly on the table, ignoring Belle's grimace at the rough treatment of one of her books, before folding his arms across his chest and looking upwards to Belle.

"Missed me Dearie?" He grinned.

Belle raised a single eyebrow and smirked with good humor,

"Don't you go off flattering yourself just yet Rumpelstiltskin. I was merely stating the obvious." She let out a quiet laugh before pushing lazily off the banister and headed toward the nearest iron staircase.

"As I was about to say, I thought you would be gone for three days so I haven't yet started dinner. It may take a while..." Recently Belle had picked up the habit of preparing a meal every night, even though it was not one of the tasks Rumpelstiltskin had given her. At first Rumpelstiltskin had been suspicious of her cooking, sniffing and poking it with wariness as if expecting it to attack him, however after a while of Belle's persistent need to cook food (rather than allow magic to provide for them because how healthy could that be?) he had given in and silently devoured every meal she prepared.

"There's no need, I've already cooked for the two of us." Rumpelstiltskin stated with a casual wave of his hand as he headed toward the exit. Belle was halfway down the staircase when she stopped abruptly and stared at him in surprise.

"You what?"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't turn around as he responded,

"Dinner. It's already been made. If we hurry we may be able to eat it while it's still hot. That is, if you intend on joining me?" Rumpelstiltskin stopped at the doors and turned his head toward Belle who was still staring at him with wide eyed amusement.

"You cooked?" she said incredulously,

"With my own two hands." He responded with a sarcastic wiggle of his fingers.

"For the two of us?" she clarified as she got closer.

But any playfulness disappeared from Rumpelstiltskin's countenance when she stepped onto the main landing and he narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning down into a slight frown.

"Did something happen while I was away?" he asked, eyeing her carefully, "You look sad..."

"What?" she asked in surprise. Was her recent bout of loneliness that obvious? Attempting to school her face into a look of indifference, Belle let out a half hearted laugh and tried to think of something to say while simultaneously fighting the sudden urge to cry again.

Once upon a time she would have jumped at the chance to voice her feelings. _I'm so lonely here; I can't remember what colour my sister's eyes are. I need someone to hold me and tell me everything will be alright... _All these things crossed through Belle's mind and for a quick, horrifying moment she worried that Rumpelstiltskin would be able to read her thoughts.

He remained where he was before her with a look of what appeared to her to be concern and Belle had to bite her lip to stop her from telling him everything she was feeling.

"No. Nothing happened while you were away. As you can see I didn't burn the place down." she said with a quick gesture of her hand.

"And as for the whole looking sad thing well I..." She faltered for a moment and then shrugged her shoulders, "I just got so wrapped up in this story and well... It had an emotional ending. There's no shame in crying over a good read." Belle attempted a look that said _see I'm fine so stop asking, _but apparently it wasn't that convincing as Rumpelstiltskin only looked at her with disbelief. In an attempt to change the subject Belle nodded upwards to one of the covered mirrors,

"There are a bunch of mirrors up there, in between each stack. I counted at least 25, all of them covered." It wasn't really a question but Belle felt herself waiting for an answer anyway.

Rumpelstiltskin continued to look at Belle with suspicious eyes, but slowly she felt the tension die away from his countenance. When he still didn't respond Belle took a few steps forwards until she was within hugging distance from Rumpelstiltskin. Belle mentally chastised herself when she felt herself leaning towards the other warm body in the room and was thankful that Rumpelstiltskin didn't appear to notice.

_He's the only person you will ever see for the REST of your life. It is perfectly natural to want to be around the only other person you will ever know, _Belle chanted to herself, though a part of her knew that it still felt wrong for her heart to feel lighter the closer she got to Rumpelstiltskin.

_He basically bought you like a slave. He is a monster who enjoys torturing people, _another part whispered.

"Did you know they were there?" she asked, snapping herself back to the present and leaning back away from Rumpelstiltskin.

"Of course I knew they were there. I know everything." He said dismissively as he spun around on his heel, once again heading back out the doors of the library. Belle let out a relieved breath and followed one step behind.

"They're covered." She reminded him.

Rumpelstiltskin gave an un amused snort as a response which caused Belle to purse her lips.

"You cover all your mirrors. Why do you cover the mirrors?"

Belle and Rumpelstiltskin crossed the large hallway with beautiful stained glass to the entrance to the enchanted stairway.

"I don't like being watched." Was his casual response and Belle was struck dumb for a moment.

_What did THAT mean?_

The two of them made their way silently down the spiral steps, and before Belle could come up with more probing questions they were entering the main hall. She was surprised to find two place settings at the table and a second chair in addition to Rumpelstiltskin's own.

Usually Belle served Rumpelstiltskin like her own maid's did back at the manor house, waiting just a few steps behind his elbow, ready to be of service until he finished his plate. Then she would collect the dishes and taking what was left for herself, she would eat alone in the kitchen afterwards. This time however it was clear that she would be joining Rumpelstiltskin for dinner, and a flicker of hope sparked within Belle as she thought that maybe this would become a more permanent ritual. _I always hated eating alone._

Belle couldn't help the surprised smile tugging at her lips as Rumpelstiltskin politely flicked his wrist to magically pull back Belle's chair so she could sit easily down without her skirts getting caught in the chair legs.

Rumpelstiltskin tilted his head in a playful nod as he pushed in her chair for her, theatrically procuring a white serviette from thin air and handing it over to Belle. She let out an amused laugh and with an equal level of playfulness made a dramatic point of smoothing the serviette upon her lap before eyeing the beautiful looking roast placed before her.

"Why thank you." She said coquettishly, before serving Rumpelstiltskin a portion of the roast before helping herself.

The meat was cooked to perfection and Belle found herself unashamedly reaching for more after her first plate was empty. What did it matter now what she ate now? There was no one to judge, no one to care. Back home she would have already been given disapproving looks from both her sister's accompanied by passive aggressive comments on keeping a slim figure.

_Oh Belle, I wish I had your ability to not worry about NOT fitting into my dresses. You're so brave. _Rosalind would say. As if _that_ was the bravest thing in the world.

Thinking about her family made the small smirk beginning to form on Belle's lips at the thought disappear and she stared at the now empty plate, once again noticing the same heaviness that had formed within her for the past few days.

"So," Belle cleared her throat and turned her attention to Rumpelstiltskin, "What's the occasion?"

Rumpelstiltskin cocked an eyebrow and took a long sip from his wine,

"I'm sorry?"

Belle leaned forward with her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her hand,

"We just shared a lovely dinner that you cooked. _Slaved_ away for a while no doubt." she emphasized with a grin, "What's the catch? Was it poisoned?" she teased.

Rumpelstiltskin looked offended for a moment and opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the light-hearted smirk on Belle's face he grinned and sunk more comfortably back into his seat.

"That would be a breach of contract Dearie. And besides, good help is hard to find these days." He responded with a wrinkle of his nose and gentle lift of his lips; the closest thing to a genuine smile he ever gave Belle.

Belle's own smile grew wider and she felt that heaviness lift just a little bit from the pit of her stomach.

"Really though, this is all highly unusual behavior, even for you." Belle said soberly and Rumpelstiltskin looked at her fully then. He appeared to debate his next words for a bit and Belle found herself once again leaning forwards in anticipation.

"It's March 23rd. I always cook dinner on March 23rd." He said quietly, tearing his gaze away from hers and lifting his goblet up to down the rest of his wine.

"What's so special about March 23rd?" Belle heard herself asking and immediately winced at the intrusive nature of her question. But if Rumpelstiltskin was offended at her bluntness he didn't let on.

Instead he surprised Belle when he smiled a very human smile, his eyes glued to the table as if in a happy trance.

"It was my son's birthday...Is." He clarified

Belle could feel her mouth gape open in surprise. _The Dark One has a son?_ For some reason Belle had never thought that the Dark One could have a family somewhere. Suddenly her mind raced back to the children's bedroom, the carved wooden horse and the closet of clothing.

Rumpelstiltskin had a family. Belle looked critically at him then, from head to toe and tried to imagine what a small version of him would look like. Does his son also have grayish green skin? Was magic something that ran in the family?

"You have a son?" she asked in a shocked whisper, wondering if she misheard.

"_Had_ a son. He died." He responded bitterly.

The pain in his face and voice was as clear as the water in the fountain at her old Manor house. His jaw clenched tightly and his lips thinned out, but it was his eyes which betrayed his grief. Belle was surprised at the humanity there. Slowly she averted her gaze and stared a small scar on the top of the table, trying to think of what to say.

Rumpelstiltskin had a son; a son who died.

Belle's heart swelled with unbridled compassion as she thought about what that must be like. She had lost her Mother but that seemed natural, this was something that did not feel right.

Words alone didn't feel like enough to express her sympathy for the man who once was a father, and so without another thought Belle reached out and did the first thing that came to mind. With gentle fingers, she slowly wrapped her hand around his own on the arm of his chair, and gave him a gentle squeeze.

She was surprised to find that Rumpelstiltskin's hand was warm and the skin not as rough as it looked but soft like normal human skin. When she looked up, she found that Rumpelstiltskin was staring at their joined hands in surprise. She expected him to recoil from her touch, perhaps yell at her or flip the table, but he just stared quietly at the connection between the both of them.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up at Belle, appearing as though he were trying to think of something to say to her.

"Belle..." he began, but his words fell dead upon his lips as he quickly looked away toward the doors that lead to the entrance hall.

She could feel the tendons of his hand flex underneath her palm and when he turned back to look at Belle, she saw that familiar aloof darkness once more shadow his face. Pulling his hand away from hers, Rumpelstiltskin stood and flicked his wrist, magically removing the empty dishes from the table.

"You should go." He said dismissively as he headed toward his spinning wheel.

Belle gaped at him in surprise and was about to protest when he shot her a look of warning.

"Go to bed Belle. Your services are not required at the moment."

She pursed her lips and frowned at him showing him her disapproval at being dismissed so hurriedly, before slowly standing from the table. Rumpelstiltskin immediately turned to his wheel and began spinning, ignoring Belle as she slowly walked over to the back doorway and pausing.

"Goodnight Rumple." She said quietly, noting the way Rumpelstiltskin's hands paused briefly before continuing with the wheel as before. With that Belle shut the door behind her, making her way contemplatively down the hall and to the set of stairs that would lead to her bedroom.

Upon entering the room Belle remembered the battered mirror within the depths of her pocket and pulled it out, surprised that she hadn't felt the weight of it during dinner. An enchanted mirror perhaps; one that felt weightless when required? Belle laughed at her own silly imagination and fiddled with the handle. Magic mirrors, corridors that disappeared at will, straw turning into gold. It was highly possible that this mirror held some sort of feather light enchantment and that realization made Belle smile to herself. Anything was possible with Rumpelstiltskin. Even the possibility of monster's with families…

Belle slowly crumbled into the small window seat in her room, placing the tall stack of books sitting precariously on the edge of the pillowed top on the floor. Pulling back the curtains and letting the moonlight drift through the panes she thought about Rumpelstiltskin's son and the small dusty shrine to the boy that died. He had gotten so angry at her when she asked about it, and now she understood the importance of that room.

_Don't make excuses for him._ A voice inside her head told her, but Belle couldn't help remember Rumpelstiltskin's sad expression at dinner, how he didn't pull away from her comforting touch. He allowed her to comfort him. That was a giant leap forward in their relationship…

Movement in the corner of Belle's eye made her draw her attention away from the half crescent moon and downwards. A figure was walking swiftly up the lane toward the castle, hooded in a dark cloak that reached the ground. Belle let out a sound of surprise, and she pressed closer to the glass in order to get a better view of the Dark Castle's visitor. The cloak reached all the way to the ground covering the person's feet, and they moved so smoothly that Belle could almost imagine that they were floating across the muddied cobblestones like an apparition.

The last person to show up to the Dark Castle had been practically tortured by Rumpelstiltskin and Belle felt herself going cold at the memory of the man, pulling at the skin covering his mouth with his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The figured disappeared around the corner of the nearest tower and Belle immediately jumped from her seat, determined to catch a glimpse of the visitor. Rumpelstiltskin had told her to go off to bed, so rather than make her presence known, Belle opted to sneak downwards as quiet as she could and for a moment she had flashbacks to when she would sneak off into the night to visit the baker's son. Back in another life.

As she neared the front entrance, voices from the main hall where she left Rumpelstiltskin rose upwards to where Belle was standing at the edge of the wide staircase. Straining her ears didn't work to hear the words, so Belle quietly tip toed down the staircase closer and closer to the large doors of the main hall.

They were opened slightly and a gash of light ran across the cold marble steps and drew upwards toward the high ceilings. Belle couldn't help but frown at the trail of muddied footprints that lead from the entrance doors to the main hall and she cursed at the visitor for being so disrespectful.

_At least wipe your boots off at the door. _Belle thought as she glanced toward the front doors where she recently placed a bristled door mat she had found a few weeks prior. Just for such an occasion.

"It's not worth it..." she could hear Rumpelstiltskin's voice say and Belle bit her lower lip at the tone. It was not the voice he used when he was dealing with strangers, but was closer to the lower more human one he used when he was speaking with Belle.

"We worked hard to get here. We've been in this, TOGETHER, since the beginning. And now your backing out?" a female voice said.

Belle stood straighter at the lower and melodic voice that carried through the doors. Even though it was clear this woman was upset about something, she spoke in calm tones that made her sound both hypnotic and dangerous at the same time, and it sent a shiver down Belle's spine. She didn't want to get closer to the door and risk being seen, but Belle found her curiosity was too strong and slowly she inched forwards, lifting her long skirts so that they didn't rustle too much.

"The price is too high. I'm not backing out; I'm merely suggesting that perhaps there is another way."

Belle could finally see Rumpelstiltskin's and the back of the woman standing close before him. The woman had jet black hair piled high atop her head and an elegant deep violet dress that shimmered ever so slightly in the torchlight. Belle could practically taste the magic radiating off the woman, similar to that of Rumpelstiltskin's though it was not as heavy, but still just as dark.

She couldn't see the woman's face, but she could tell by the rigidity of her back that the woman was not too pleased with Rumpelstiltskin.

"This is the only way; you and I both know this." The woman hissed. The calm tones in her voice were now laced with anger as she balled her fists at her sides, long red nails digging into the palms of the woman's hand.

Rumpelstiltskin's nostrils flared in anger as he stared down at the woman. Belle saw the corner of his mouth twitch before he took a step closer.

"She is your daughter. Are you sure this is what you want?"

Belle held her breath as the two stared at each other in silence. To Belle's shock the woman leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to the side of Rumpelstiltskin's mouth, his eyes closing momentarily and his lips thinning into a slight grimace. She expected him to rage at the woman, to hit her with a burst of magic and throw her against the wall. A small part of her wanted him to and she blinked at the horrid thought. Instead he stared quietly at the woman for a while before sighing.

With a quick flick of his wrist he magic'd a small scroll from thin air and held it out to the woman, but before she could grasp it he pulled it back out of her reach.

"Remember, it's not ready yet. There are still a few things that need to be collected for it to work. And then there's the matter of price..." he trailed off before once again holding the parchment out to the woman. Without hesitation she snatched the scroll out of his hands and fervently unrolled it, appearing to scan it quickly before making it disappear in a magical puff of purple smoke.

"Thank you Rumple. Soon we will both have what we want." She said before turning and heading to the doors where Belle had slowly inched closer and closer to. Quickly realizing that the woman was about to expose Belle she quickly ducked away into the shadows of the entrance hall.

The woman marched out of the room, her swift movements causing her purple skirts to billow behind her. Snapping her fingers the woman magically opened the front door, letting in the howling rain that had just began to pelt downwards outside. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks and Belle found herself frozen in terror as she slowly turned her head and stared right at the spot where Belle was hiding.

Belle felt her mouth go dry as the woman's cold black eyes appeared to bore into her own.

She was older than Belle had expected, with slight aging around her eyes and mouth. However that did not detract from her obvious beauty, with thick dark hair, pale skin contrasted by red lips and dark eyes framed with long black lashes. But there was a chilling danger about the woman that made Belle shiver once more. Very slowly the woman smiled at Belle, a smile that looked more like a warning to Belle and didn't quite reach her eyes. The woman then turned around and left the castle, doors banging shut behind her with a mere wave of the hand.

"See something interesting?"

Rumpelstiltskin's voice snapped Belle out of her trance and she jumped when she realized he was standing right next to her. In a trance she must have wondered out of the darkness and into the light

"I'm sorry." She apologized quickly, her cheeks burning with embarrassment, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop..."

Rumpelstiltskin raised a disbelieving eyebrow at her.

"Who was that?" she asked quietly.

Rumpelstiltskin inhaled slowly, as if dreading the answer. He glanced over at the front doors before replying in a quiet voice.

"Cora."


	9. Painting the Roses Red

_She was running. Running as swift and as hard as her legs would allow. She would never make it; he was too fast for her. She looked back but the fog was too dense for her to make out anything. She could feel him gaining upon her and she tried to run faster but her legs felt heavy, like they were weighed down. _

_She came upon a wall of bushes trimmed neatly and rising impossibly high. How could bushes get that high? She quickly ducked to her right with the bushes on her left; she had to go, she had to escape. She cried out in surprise when suddenly out of the ground sprouted a new wall of hedges, the branches weaving about with minds of their own, reaching out to tear at her yellow dress and thickening up. So she took another right only to be blocked off as well. The hedges were growing all around her and to her horror she found herself blocked into a corner with no escape. It was then she heard a low growl from behind her. _

_He was here, he had found her. _

_She tried to cry out, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out. She tried to push through the bushes but they only became thicker and thicker cutting her and making the skin on her hands bleed._

_She could feel him behind her, the bulk of his shadow drenching her in darkness. He was so much bigger than she, and she would never be able to escape him. She quaked in fear as she slowly turned around. To her surprise, when she turned there was nothing there but the fog. She strained her ears, trying to hear the sound that had frightened her. She strained her eyes to try and make out any ominous shape in the mist, but she saw and heard nothing. Sighing in relief she turned back around only to come face to face with black soulless eyes. Red lips pulled back into a wide menacing smile and before Belle could get away a hand with painted red nails shot out and dug into Belle's chest, squeezing painfully at her racing heart…_

Belle gasped as she sat up in her bed, a cold sweat forming upon her brow. She was trembling uncontrollably with the sheets twisted around her body and trapping her to the bed. In a dazed panic Belle felt her chest, making sure her heart was still there and sighed in relief when she felt the fast beating. It was just another nightmare.

Her room was beginning to brighten with the sun of the new day, the light through her window spilling sleepily across her bed. Belle slowly slid from the four poster and into a pair of slippers placed neatly on the floor next to a tall stack of books. _Perhaps a cup of tea would be good_, she decided as she yawned and splashed cool water from the bedroom basin on her face to help wake her up. She slowly dressed into her usual blue work dress and left her room to wander down to the kitchens and start on tea and a small meal before finding some work to do.

Cora's cold dark eyes had been haunting Belle's dreams the past few nights and she shivered at the recollection of the hand reaching in and tugging at her heart. It was the same dream over and over, each time it felt more and more real. And what a strange thing for Belle to dream of too…

She reached the main floor and headed in the direction of the kitchen when a light spilling from the main hall drew her attention. Belle found herself grinning as she pushed open the tall wooden doors, finding Rumpelstiltskin at his wheel spinning away. She cast a sidelong gaze at the heavy curtains still closed in the room and decided that perhaps today was the day she let some natural light inside. She glanced around the room quickly as she walked over to the wheel, imagining how wonderful the colours would be while lit up with actual sunlight rather than the warm glow of firelight. It really was quite a beautiful room when you thought about it.

Rumpelstiltskin didn't even glance at Belle when she sat on the edge of his stool, sharing the space with him and her arm slightly nudging him as he worked. They sat in companionable silence for a while as both Belle and Rumpelstiltskin watched the wheel turn and turn. Belle's thoughts drifted to her family and her nightmare slowly melted away as the wheel spun around and around, gold thread glinting as it pooled in the basket on the ground.

"It's going to be a beautiful day I think."

Rumpelstiltskin's voice broke through her reverie and she blinked at him in surprise while he continued to spin. Rumpelstiltskin was not one for small talk and so Belle immediately narrowed her eyes in suspicion, waiting for the catch in this seemingly casual conversation.

"Indeed, the weather has been quite forgiving recently…I'm pretty sure winter is nearly over ." Belle replied slowly.

Rumpelstiltskin only nodded his head slowly and fed more straw into the wheel, turning and turning.

"I was thinking that perhaps you should start working in the garden's today." Rumpelstiltskin said, stopping the wheel altogether and shifting on the stool to look at Belle.

Her mouth gaped slightly and she found herself struggling to form proper words. _Go outside?_

"I can go outside?" Belle asked uncertainly.

The nervous tone in her voice had Rumpelstiltskin's eyes flicker down at the string of gold around her neck and then back up at Belle. He gave a small aloof shrug and returned to his wheel to continue with his spinning.

"The gardens are within the walls, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to tend to them. Unless you would rather stay inside…"

Belle couldn't believe her ears and immediately she shot up off the stool and interrupted Rumpelstiltskin's sentence.

"No no, of course not, if the garden requires tending then I should probably get to it." She could barely contain her joy, and Rumpelstiltskin was clearly aware as he stared at her in mild amusement.

"On the table are the tools you need as well as a particular plant I thought would look well in the back by the kitchen gardens." He replied with a slight gesture of his hand before turning back to his wheel.

Belle gave a slight nod and moved over to the once empty table which now was magically laden with gardening tools. She stopped at the foot of the table and examined the single rose bush sitting on the floor, its roots carefully cradled in a burlap sack.

The roses were very similar to the ones her mother had planted at the Manor home, the same ones that Belle brought to the cottage.

"Where did you get these?" Belle asked as she fingered the delicate red petals.

Rumpelstiltskin looked up from his wheel and over at the rosebush.

"It's a sample from your family's cottage. Beautiful flowers really, I couldn't resist."

He trailed off when Belle looked at him with her eyes full of unshed tears and he frowned.

"I thought you would want something familiar near to you. If you don't like them I can return…" Rumpelstiltskin's sentence was cut short when Belle bounded over to him and gave him a hug of gratitude, the tears spilling onto her cheeks. It was the best small mercy he had given her since she had left, even better than the library.

"Thank you." She whispered fervently, pulling back slightly to look into his face. His reptilian-like eyes were large in his head as he looked at her, his hands still holding onto the golden thread awkwardly. Belle felt herself blush a little when she realized she was practically sitting on Rumpelstiltskin's lap and she quickly cleared her throat and jumped off, wiping any stray tears from her face.

"You… approve." Rumpelstiltskin said slowly, his eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out what emotion Belle was feeling, whether good or bad. Belle could only nod vigorously with a bright smile.

"Yes, I approve. I approve greatly, thank you."

Rumpelstiltskin's nervous and almost shy smile warmed Belle's heart. He nearly looked human when he smiled like that and Belle decided she liked him when he wasn't playing at being the most powerful sorcerer in the realms.

She grinned like a fool as she gently picked up her Mother's rose bush and placed it in a wheelbarrow waiting nearby along with the necessary tools, quickly heading to the back door which led to the kitchens with the wheelbarrow leading the way.

"I'll be back soon to make breakfast." She called out over her shoulder as she nudged her way out the door.

"See that you do, maid." Rumpelstiltskin called back and Belle let out a small chuckle.

_So I'm back to being called maid_, she thought with a smile and a roll of her eyes, knowing she unnerved him with her gratitude, that strange man…

Belle's smirk dropped from her face and she stopped short at the kitchen doors which lead to the castle grounds outside.

_What if this was a trap?_ She thought, studying the old warped doorway leading out to the new spring day. She could smell the earthy scent of spring begging her to come outside, an effect of the ice cold ground warming up under the bright sunny sky. Belle glanced down at the rosebush with unease before shaking away her nerves and bursting through the door in a show of good faith.

Belle had her eyes squeezed shut as she exited into the gardens and she slowly opened one eyelid, then the other and sighed in relief when she didn't feel agonizing pain the instant her feet met the soft ground. Belle stood for a while in the sunlight, letting it warm up her face for the first time in months. The air still held a slight winter chill, but it was buffeted with the smell of the earth waking up and the sounds of birds off into the distance.

Belle looked out past the high castle walls and onto the distant mountain peaks, higher than any mountain she had ever seen and she sighed at the beauty of it, wondering idly if there were any villages nearby. As she pushed the wheelbarrow closer to the Kitchen gardens, overgrown with brown weeds hanging heavily with the last of the spring rain, Belle imagined what it would be like to live in a Mountain village. Did they feel just as isolated as Belle did? What were their customs, their way of speaking, how they do business? Were they much different from the people in her village?

Belle began to gather up fallen twigs, branches and any of the usual winter debris and attempted to clear a small spot of land nearest the castle wall where the most sun would hit. It would be the perfect spot for the rosebush. She noted the various plants already in the garden and tried to think back to what Mrs. Jones had said about early spring gardening and which vegetables and flowers to plant. She was delighted when she found evidence of sweet peas and radishes, remembering those from the list of 'cool-weather crops' she had read in a gardening book once.

She decided, once the ground was free for the rosebush, that after she was done with cleanup she would search for a book on gardening in her library so that when she came out tomorrow she would know exactly what needed to be done.

She was so busy imagining how wonderful the gardens would look once she was finished that she neglected to notice the change in temperature, or the sudden prickle of magic in the air.

"Well, aren't we the very capable gardener." A familiar dark and melodic voice spoke softly just behind Belle; a voice which made her freeze in place, her hand still clutching the small spade that had been tilling the earth.

Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the tool and slowly came to standing. Slowly she turned around, coming face to face with Cora.

_Just like in the dream. _Her brain provided for her traitorously and making her heart beat just a bit faster.

But it wasn't quite like Belle's dreams. In the daylight Cora _appeared_ to be less menacing; the violet in her dress just a shade or two lighter; her hair a bit more brown than black in the warm sun; her smile less frightening (though it still came across as cold and detatched). Her eyes however were still the same soulless black that Belle had remembered from that night and had nightmares about, and she had to fight back the cold shiver that was slowly creeping up her spine.

Cora's mouth continued to smile as she looked around the overgrown garden until finally her coal black eyes landed on Belle herself, and taking a step forward, her skirts skimming the ground daintily.

A nervous sinking feeling pressed down upon Belle's sternum as the beautifully dangerous woman tilted her head and appraised Belle from the top of her head down to the toe of her muddy boot.

_Be calm and don't be afraid. _But she did feel afraid, for the darkness that surrounded this woman felt more dangerous than that of Rumpelstiltskin's. It was unpredictable.

"So," the woman began with a quirk of her black eyebrows, "You must be the new me."

Belle was stunned for a moment and simply stared at Cora. She willed herself to think of some sly retort, send the woman away, but her mind was a blank, the nerves getting the best of her.

_What does she mean, the new her?_

Cora wrinkled her forehead for a moment and frowned at the garden spade still clutched in Belle's hand.

"Are you frightened my Dear?" she asked with mock concern, her eyes flicking back up to Belle's face. "Your hand is shaking."

Belle glanced down at her hand (yes it was definitely shaking) and quickly placed her one hand on top of the other to hide her trembling.

Belle willed herself to smile at Cora,

"Forgive me, My Lady…" she began before Cora interrupted her with a snarl,

"It's your Majesty; you will remember that for next time."

she snapped peevishly as the air became thick with dark magic and made the hairs on the back of Belle's neck stand on end.

"Apologies, Your Majesty." Belle added quietly, thankful when the suffocating thickness lessened and the dark look on Cora's face faded ever so slightly. Belle dipped into the same curtsey she and her sister's were taught to give to Royalty, though she felt a bit shaky on her feet and nearly toppled over. Cora stared down her nose at Belle before taking one more step forward.

"There is magic about you girl. Are you his new apprentice? " Cora eyed Belle curiously, "No." she decided with a cold smile, "I don't think you are…"

Belle sucked in a sharp breath as Cora reached her hand out and tucked a stray curl behind Belle's ear, like a Mother would a child. The back of Cora's thumb began to trace a line from the bottom of Belle's ear across her jaw line and finally rested against the underside of Belle's chin.

"You are very beautiful my dear." She said in a low whisper, as if in a trance. It was not a complement but rather a statement, and it did not make Belle feel any less terrified as Cora's thumb tenderly caressed the underside of Belles chin in gentle circles before gently lifting it upwards and toward Cora's face until both women were nearly nose to nose.

Her thumb nail dug slightly into the flesh it was pressed against and Belle fought back a wince of pain,

"I was beautiful once." She said wistfully, "He likes beautiful things, doesn't he?" Cora leaned in to whisper into Belle's ear, as if she were bestowing a great secret, her black eyebrows quirked ever so slightly upwards and beckoning Belle to listen carefully.

"It's a curse you know; beauty." She breathed, the warmth from her breath tingling in Belle's ear and making her shiver once more. "It brews jealousy and greed; turns men into animals who will take everything from you and leave you alone and in agony; Turns kind women into vicious and _dangerous _enemies…" Her grip tightened on Belle's chin and Belle wanted to cry out, but stubbornness made her clench her jaw in silence, her blue eyes burning into the black pits of Cora's.

"You are just another shiny toy to him, do you understand? And he will toss you away, just like he did with all the others…"

Cora smiled ruefully then before gently releasing Belle's chin, the pads of her fingers dragged down Belle's throat, just light enough to make Belle's skin burn, before catching on the gold chain around Belle's neck. Cora turned the gold chain back and forth in curious examination, her thumb running along the woven gold.

With Cora's close proximity Belle was able to see small scarring along the back of Cora's neck where the collar of her dress met her shoulders. The scaring got lighter as it reached around, leaving faint lines along her cheek leading to the corner of her mouth. It was so faint that one would have to be extremely close to notice and Belle's curiosity was slightly heightened, momentarily distracting her from the dangerous woman herself. There was a story there, though Belle seriously doubted she would ever be on the receiving end of such a tale.

When Cora looked back up at Belle, she narrowed her eyes and tilted her head to the side. Belle averted her gaze away from the scaring on Cora's cheek and prayed that she didn't catch her staring.

"What is your name?" Cora asked slowly, her hand dropping the blue sapphire of Belle's golden collar.

The sudden shift in topic made Belle blink, and a small voice in her head whispered for her to not answer. After a pregnant pause a dangerous look crossed Cora's face and she leaned in closer.

"I asked you a question…" she hissed.

"Cora."

Both Cora and Belle jumped a little at Rumplestiltskin's voice, the elder woman taking a quick and nervous step backwards.

Relief flooded over Belle and she realised she had been holding her breath, letting out a short gust of air. She watched in fascination as Cora took a slow breath through her nose, her jaw clenching tightly before she plastered on a sickly pleasant smile and spinning around to face the Dark One.

"Rumple darling." She said in greeting, sashaying toward Rumpelstiltskin who was leaning casually against the garden wall, his face betraying not a lick of emotion as Cora tilted her head and placed a kiss on his cheek.

Belle felt her face grow hot and she averted her gaze to her Mother's rose bush. A part of her was pleased that Rumpelstiltskin had the power to make even this woman tense. The other part was _uneasy _that Rumpelstiltskin had the power to make a dangerous woman like Cora tense…

"Frightening the help, I see. Really Dearie, do you have nothing better to do while you're not off playing Queen Mother?" Rumpelstiltskin sang with a slight giggle on his breath and warning in his eyes. Cora only smiled sweetly and looked over to Belle.

"Just having a friendly chat. We girls must stick together after all." she nearly purred.

Belle wanted to snort with disbelief but didn't want to give Cora a reason to dislike her even more than she appeared to. So she squared her shoulders and found a small smile for Cora, adopting her well practiced mask of calm confidence.

"Ah," Rumpelstiltskin exclaimed, pushing off the garden wall and stepping toward Belle and giving her a questioning glance. Belle momentary looked to Cora then back to Rumpelstiltskin before giving him a slight nod to signal that everything was fine. He pressed his index finger to his thumb and rubbed them together in thought at his side before spinning back around to face Cora.

"Tea." He exclaimed suddenly, "I will have Verna here bring a fresh pot up to the workroom for us. The girl does make an excellent pot of tea…"

Belle blinked at Rumpelstiltskin's back for a moment before realizing that _she _was the Verna he was referring to. Cora made a show of smelling a fragrant herb plant that peeked through the stone of the crumbling garden wall, but Belle could tell she was listening intently.

"Right away, sir." Belle murmured politely before bowing to Rumpelstiltskin's back. Cora straightened when Belle quickly stepped toward the garden exit, swiftly curtseying extra low before Cora with more grace than before, and Cora following her every movement like a hawk eyeing its prey. She stepped passed Cora and safely exited the low garden walls, dropping her spade as she went.

"Oh and _Verna…_"

Cora's voice had Belle freeze just before she reached the kitchen door. Swallowing hard, Belle slowly turned back on her heel to face Cora once more.

"Yes?" she said quietly with slight uncertainty.

Cora's face darkened into a small triumphant smirk before giving Belle one last once over.

"I take mine with milk."

Belle nodded once and curtseyed again before disappearing into the kitchen.

It wasn't until the kettle of water was on the stove that Belle felt the adrenaline in her system dissipate and the shaking in her hands became more evident.

"She cannot get to me." Belle chanted out loud, her hands gripping the sides of the deep kitchen sink, "I am safe."

But Belle found herself wondering at the truth of her words as she gathered the tea things and placed them on the serving tray.


	10. An Adventure

It took nearly twenty minutes for Belle to be able to muster up enough courage to take the tea tray all the way up to the tower where Rumpelstiltskin's workroom was. She had only been into the room a handful of times within her early days at the Dark Castle - mostly just to check on Rumpelstiltskin and bring him up a tray of food every so often. However she hadnt needed to wander up to the room recently, as he had gotten into the habit of spending more and more time in the common rooms where Belle usually was either reading, organizing the clutter, or listening to Rumplestiltskin's stories and sharing a few of her own.

The air on that particular day, she noted as she ascended up on the stone steps with her tea tray, was different than it was before. It was more potent and bitter than usual - the palpable flavour of dark magic was making her eyes water.

Neither Cora nor Rumpelstiltskin looked up from the workbench when Belle entered, and so she moved as silent as she could around the many tables covered in vile's of potions, magic books stacked higher than Belle's waist, and the smaller sized spinning wheel in the center of the room. Out of the corner of her eye she watched as Cora and Rumpelstiltskin spoke to each other in low murmurs, a dark clawed hand pouring thick black ooze into a decanter held delicately between her manicured fingers. Both sorcerers shoulder to shoulder, closely working together as a fluid team.

Belle pursed her lips in displeasure as she placed the tea tray on a table nearby, taking extra precautions to ensure it didn't topple over. The unusually tense feeling at the pit of her stomach was not one she had felt before and it only increased as she shifted her gaze to Cora's hand which brushed ever so lightly along Rumple's silk sleeve in a familiarity that did not settle well within her.

With another curtsey to the two who were too engrossed in their work to notice, Belle left the workroom, a part of her glad to be away from the woman, another confused as to what this woman meant to Rumple. She raced down the stairs, her head dizzy from the fumes and her thoughts trying to piece together what Rumple and Cora were up to.

That first night when Cora had visited, Belle had overheard them talking about something that Rumple deemed too risky, and then something about Cora's daughter... Was this what they were doing? some sort of dark magic that even the Dark One himself was not one hundred percent willing to follow through with?

Dinner came and went while Belle puzzled, and still she had seen neither Cora nor Rumplestiltskin leave the tower workroom. So, to battle her boredom and to stop her mind from imagining the worst, Belle decided to tackle the very large curtains in the main hall.

"Natural light…" she grunted to herself as she dragged one of the taller ladders she had stowed away into the room, for the first time wishing she had some basic magical abilities that would allow her to simply _wish _the ladder into existence. Once or twice she had seen maids at the old manor house remove and clean curtains in many of the great rooms, usually working in pairs. But as it was Belle was alone, and for the first time admiring the hard work her maids dealt with, as she now understood how difficult it actually was to try and pry away curtains.

When she realized that the curtains were nailed shut she let out a small laugh_. Of course they were nailed shut. _And she continued to laugh to herself as she pictured Rumple in his leather pants and silk shirts climbing up the ladder and nailing the curtains one by one. Quickly she descended the ladder and found a hammer, once again climbing up and up, a few times slipping on her skirts.

"Shorter skirts, I need to remember to make shorter skirts…" Belle exclaimed under her breath as she pried away one nail after the other, effectively removing the entire velvet curtain from the window revealing a beautiful spring sunset. It dropped heavily to the ground and Belle felt a satisfied smile bloom on her face.

"Whatever are you doing?"

Belle nearly toppled off the ladder when she heard Rumplestiltskin's voice from behind her. With an exasperated sigh, she turned her head and frowned down to where he was standing at the base of the ladder. He was looking up at the now open window with what appeared to be a combinationn of confusion and possible distaste.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking down the curtains." Belle said with a laugh as she gingerly stepped down the ladder.

"Why?"

"To let in some natural light of course. It really is a lovely view isn't it…"

Rumpelstiltskin blinked at the mountains in the distance as if he hadnt realised they were even located near mountains, then once again looked to Belle who now had made it all the way down to solid ground and was standing shoulder to shoulder with him and smiling at the yellow and pink sky.

"But why?"

Belle opened her mouth to speak but decided against it and instead watched as Rumpelstiltskin frowned at the sunset dipping below the mountain peaks, the orange light shimmering on his skin.

"So, all finished then?" she sighed, giving Rumpelstiltskin a playful nudge with her shoulder, "Is _her majesty_ gone or are you looking for the supper you missed?" Belle asked briskly, privately shocked at the slight bite in her tone.

Rumpelstiltskin only snorted slightly, turning back to Belle with amusement in his eyes.

"Did she tell you to call her 'Your majesty'?" he questioned with a snort.

"Who is she?" Belle asked instead, now that the conversation was directed at the person she was most curious about. "Is she your…" Belle trailed off, unable to find the best way to phrase the question that had been quietly poking away at her ever since she knew of Cora's existence.

When she looked up, Rumplestiltskin was regarding her with a strange look on his face and Belle crossed her arms over her chest self consciously.

"Lover?" he provided, in a frank way that made Belle blush. _Of course, that is what you really want to know, isnt it?_ her conscience provided.

Belle thought back to the intimate kiss on that first night she was here, the easy way they moved together while working, the subtle touches here and there. Just thinking of it made Belle seeth just a little. _Was that was jealousy felt like?_.

When Belle only darted her eyes in embarrassment, Rumplestiltskin sighed and walked over to his wheel. He sat down heavily and stared off for a moment before staring back at Belle who hadn't moved from her place by the open window.

"No." he replied in the voice that Belle had began to refer to as his _real _voice. Belle perked up slightly at Rumplestiltskin's confession and finally turned to face him.

"You seem close…" Belle prodded slowly, not daring to feel too optimistic.

"We are." He replied and Belle nodded slightly, delighted to be able to get such clear and forthright answers from him.

"Your son…" Belle began, pausing to gage his reaction. She could be pushing it now, but Belle needed to ask, she had to. Rumplestiltskin only shifted back in his seat and crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow when Belle's blush deepened and she began to stutter a bit nervously, "Is she… I mean… was she his – your…"

"Did I procreate with that woman, is that what you're asking."

Belle gaped for a moment,

"Well, I wasn't going to put it like that…" she muttered to herself before freezing when she heard a low chuckle escape from Rumplestiltskin.

"No. We were never close _like that._ My son was born and was gone well before Cora ever existed."

"So you two were _never_… lovers." Belle said, trying desperately to not redden when she said the word. She must be nearly the shade of her mother's roses by now…

"Never." He affirmed, "Perhaps in another life…" he added quietly. Belle frowned for a moment at his wording before walking over to where Rumple sat and leaned slightly against the spinning wheel while he looked up at her curiously.

"One more question." Belle said, smirking when Rumplestiltskin made a show of rolling his eyes, then gesturing her to continue.

"Why did you call me Verna?"

infuriatingly (and not at all surprisingly) Rumplestiltskin didn't answer and instead turned to his wheel, picking up a handful of straw from the basket on the floor and feeding it into the wheel.

"She asked me my name." Belle continued, "Before you showed up…" she trailed off when she noticed Rumplestiltskin stop his ministrations, his face twisted into a dark scowl.

"Did she now." He said lowly, blinking up at Belle.

"Is that important?" she asked a bit nervously, perplexed at the change in Rumplestiltskin's mood.

"Names have power. You didn't give her your real name did you?"

"No." she murmured, biting her lip in thought. Her gut had told her not to trust Cora, and judging from the look on Rumplestiltskin's face she was right to follow that feeling.

"Cora is dangerous." He continued, tapping his thumbnail on the curve of the wheel in thought, "Fortunate for you, I am even more dangerous. Cora would never dare go near you again, not after she and I have a little chat." He stopped his tapping and turned his attention completely onto Belle, the darkness from earlier dissipating from his eyes and returning to their natural colour. "If you find yourself ever a lone with her, call my name immediately, do you understand?" Rumplestiltskin watched her intently, only relaxing back into his seat when she nodded her understanding.

He smiled then, just a slight smile, but it was honest and almost comforting.

She found herself being lulled into a calm silence as the wheel began to spin, the straw being woven into a gold thread that caught the last of the sunlight from the newly uncovered window, glistening beautifully as Belle had predicted. As the spinning continued, Belle travelled her eyes up the fine silk sleeves of Rumplestiltskin's shirt, across the opening at the top which showed off just a hint of his collarbone and right up to his face. The sunset cast an enchanting glow into the room and Belle could see just a hint of gold now in Rumplestiltskins own complexion. His eyes were completely focused on the wheel now, and Belle knew that she was all but forgotten, so she took her time studying his face – the thin arching of his nose, masculine mouth, waving shoulder length hair, and the slight wrinkle between his eyes that only showed up when he was either concentrating hard or confused when Belle hugged him.

"You're staring again." He murmured, though he appeared to not mind too much for he still continued with his spinning, his movements only becoming a bit more self conscious and Belle watched, fascinated by his change in demeanour.

The Dark One she had first met was all confidence and ferocity with an otherworldly presence that made the air tingle and anyone nearby shiver in fear. But the Rumplestiltskin she had slowly begun to see peek through all the hand flourishes and dragon hide jackets, was a reserved and pensive magician who would tense under Belle's scrutiny.

"Sorry." Belle responded softly, letting her eyes drop back to the wheel for a moment before sighing and standing from her spot. Rumplestiltskin watched her every movement with guarded interest, his hands not once stopping his spinning.

Belle smiled gently at him and dipped slightly into a curtsey before slowly heading out of the main hall, feeling suddenly exhausted from the day. It was probably all the fresh air that made her feel sleepy. That and her needless worrying about Rumplestiltskin's past.

"Belle,"

Rumplestiltskin's voice broke through her reverie and she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

"Yes?" She asked with a smile.

He watched her for a moment before waving a hand and producing a medium sized book from a puff of purple smoke.

"This is for you." He said before tossing the book at Belle. She yelped as she lunged for the book, barely catching it in both her hands. She gave him a curious smile before flipping the book over to read the title.

"_Adventures of the Seven Seas_?" she read with a questioning glance at Rumplestiltskin.

His face was impassive as he sat back down at his wheel, picking up more straw and feeding it through,

"A bit of light reading for the journey ahead. I think you will enjoy it. Damsels in distress, dashing pirates..." he frowned then eyed her for a moment, "Although with the way you read perhaps you should bring a second book, in case you finish this one before we get to our destination. I would suggest something light, I can't have you lugging around five heavy novels like I _know_ you would, it would just slow us down." he said in a bored tone.

Belle felt confused for a moment,

"The journey ahead? What journey ahead?" Belle said in quick successions, the book clutched tight against her chest.

"Well something has come up and I am to visit a Kingdom in the south…"

"And you want me to come with you?" Belle interrupted him with a hopeful smile. Rumplestiltskin snapped his mouth shut and pulled his lips into a tight line.

"I am in need of an assistant for the trip. However if you prefer to stay here I can always pay someone…"

"Oh no, I would love to. Please!" Belle nearly begged with a ridiculous smile spreading across her face. A journey to the Southern Kingdom? she had only read about the Kingdom in the south, no one from back home ever being able to travel that far.

This was more than Belle could ever wish and she felt her heart soar at the prospect of actually travelling somewhere new. Her face must have showed her elation for Rumplestiltskin quickly lifted his hand and pointed an accusatory claw in her direction.

"Don't get too excited. I need an _assistant_ that is all. I am not some charity and this is not some good deed I'm doing, so don't mistake it for one."

Belle quickly shook her head in amusement at his tone,

"Oh of course not. I would never mistake you for being _capable_ of good." She replied with a knowing smile.

Rumplestiltskin only narrowed his eyes further before shooing her away with his hand.

"Be ready in the morning. It will only take a day or two to journey there, so pack light."

Belle nodded before tilting her head in curiosity.

"We won't be using magic to get there? Like when you brought me here?"

"We will be taking the carriage." was his curt response.

"Why?"

Rumplestiltskin sighed and looked up once more, "This is not the sort of place we can go by magic Dearie. Now go with you, and be ready in the morning!"

Belle shrugged and smiled at him.

"Morning it is then. Good night Rumple!" she sang before turning to walk out of the hall, her hands immediately opening the book and her eyes eagerly reading the pages.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.


	11. Two for the Road

Belle was fuming, and what made it worse was that Rumpelstiltskin did not appear to notice - Or more likely, decided it was in his best interest simply to ignore it.

She had been so eager to leave the castle the night before that she had completely forgot about the one thing that had been holding Belle as a captive of the Dark Castle for the past half year. Turning the offending sapphire gem over and over in her hand, Belle paced the entry hall nervously, a single bag packed with a change of clothes and three books to read lay at the ready by the front door, awaiting the journey. Rumpelstiltskin arrived in a flurry of movements and paused briefly at the bottom of the stairs and gave Belle an odd look, as if he had forgotten she was going with him, before giving her a curt nod and continuing across the threshold toward the large front doors.

"Good, you're ready and right on schedule," He said briskly as he came near to where she was standing in the hallway. Attempted to bring to Rumpelstiltskin's attention the small matter of her enchanted necklace, Belle took a short breath and stepped toward him,

"Rumpelstiltskin…" she began, but he passed quickly by her and continued to speak, as if he hadn't heard her,

"You can either place your bag on the back of the carriage…" he continued,

"Rumpelstiltskin?"

"Or you can keep it with you. Just remember, should you choose the former, take out the books first because I will _not _be stopping twenty minutes into the journey because you forgot to pull out your reading material…"

"Rumpelstiltskin if you would just wait for a moment …"

"Oh and wear this," Rumpelstiltskin flicked his wrist and from thin air produced a gold and green brocade cloak and tossed it to Belle. She lunged and was able to catch the finely made cloak before it hit the floor, "It may be spring but it's still quite crisp out. It can also double as a blanket should you…" Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand to emphasize his point and Belle gave him a brief smile in thanks,

"Thank, you it's lovely. Now if you would just stop for a moment…"

"Hurry up maid, I haven't all day! We are losing light."

Rumpelstiltskin was already out the castle doors and had the door to a surprisingly plain looking closed carriage open, the step already unfolded in wait, and Belle quickly descended the stone steps with her bag in hand.

Rumpelstiltskin was still talking when she made it to the foot of the carriage.

"Rumpelstiltskin please!" Belle cried out making him snap his jaw shut and glare at her impatiently.

Sighing in relief, she stopped just at the foot of the carriage and gave him a tentative smile.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked with a quick glance down to her necklace. When he didn't immediately speak Belle sighed and lifted the sapphire up for his inspection.

"I can't leave remember?"

Belle was taken aback when she saw Rumpelstiltskin's mouth quirk in a small smile before pulling Belle's bag from her grasp and placing it on one of the seats.

He then returned to her and held out his hand for Belle to take hold of,

"I have _not_ forgotten and you don't have to worry about that, now get in."

Belle gaped at him in surprise before letting Rumpelstiltskin lead her inside the carriage.

If the exterior looked plain and inconspicuous, then the interior was the complete opposite. With an air of awe, Belle examined the beautifully plush red satin seats and gold brocade detailing along the walls. Sitting down, Belle found that the seats were just as comfortable as they looked and she let out a small sigh of relief. Two days in a carriage was not something one looks forward to, but in Rumpelstiltskin's carriage those two days might not be so bad.

"So did you… turn it off?" Belle asked when Rumpelstiltskin had settled into the seat across from her next to her bag. He gave her a funny look and proceeded to hit the roof of the carriage twice with the palm of his hand, and with a jolt they were moving. Belle strained her neck to look behind her out the window for the driver, but only saw an empty seat. _A magical carriage, of course._

"I did no such thing. It's not something one can just _turn off._" He replied with a look that told Belle she should know better. Belle frowned at him and glanced nervously out the window to the approaching castle walls. If she crossed that barrier who knew what would happen to her, and Rumpelstiltskin's flippant behavior made her very nervous.

"But if you didn't touch it and I cross the line…" Belle began her eyes wide with fear as her hands began to clutch nervously at her seat. They were getting closer to the gate and in that moment Belle knew, for a fact, that she really did not want to die. Quickly she looked to Rumpelstiltskin for any sign of support, but he was infuriatingly absorbed in looking out the window.

"You will be fine." He replied casually. Before she could protest he glanced her way and scrunched his nose, "I may have… exaggerated at the cost of leaving the castle walls."

Belle tried to form words as she tried to think what that had to mean but of course nothing came out. They were approaching the front gate and Belle found herself clutching at the red satin fabric of her seat tightly in panic. This was it, they were crossing the walls of the castle and all Belle could do was close her eyes and wait. When they crossed the barrier the necklace glowed slightly for a moment and Belle felt a small static shock against her neck that made Belle yelp out in surprise. Immediately after the gem dulled back to its usual brilliant blue luster and all was still once more.

Rumpelstiltskin was smirking out the window when Belle turned angry eyes to him,

"What the hell was that?" she asked heatedly, the adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins as they neared the walls of the castle sizzling out quickly and leaving Belle feeling flushed and a bit woozy. Her knuckles were white against the fabric of the chair and Belle winced when she finally loosened her grip and felt her joints soar with pain.

Rumpelstiltskin made a non committal sound and turned his hand back and forth, "I may have exaggerated on the necklace. It wasn't meant to be an excruciating death, but a mere pinch. I could tell by your little _squeak_ that my magic did as it was supposed to."

Belle's jaw dropped as she stared at him in bewilderment.

"You lied to me?"

"Exaggerated." He emphasized raising his eyebrows in amusement at Belle's look of shock.

"Lied." She clarified, clenching her jaw in anger. "Why would you do that?"

The look of amusement on Rumpelstiltskin's face disappeared and was replaced with a calm superiority which made Belle's blood boil,

"I did what I had to; to be sure you wouldn't try and run away."

"By scaring me half to death? You could have told me the truth weeks ago!" Belle huffed, slouching in her seat and glaring at Rumpelstiltskin. "I wouldn't have left anyway. We made a deal." She added before crossing her arms.

"Not everyone keeps their deals, Dearie." Rumpelstiltskin murmured irritably before turning back to his window and looking out.

"Well I do." Belle shot back through clenched teeth. She watched as he worked his jaw back and forth for a while before she continued, "Does it do anything else? Or has the magic run its course and now it's just a necklace without a clasp?" Belle asked snidely.

Rumpelstiltskin glanced at her from out the corner of his eye, his mouth pinched into a straight line.

"Oh it has other uses besides that little spark. Let's hope you never find out what else it can do." He ominously replied.

"Is that a threat?" Belle shot back icily.

She felt a small shred of shame when Rumpelstiltskin blinked at her, a look of hurt crossing his face before his walls quickly went back up and he glared at Belle, returning to his window.

And so they sat for a long while, jostling along with the carriage. Belle continued to sit across from Rumpelstiltskin with folded arms and glaring eyes, while he silently watched out the window, ignoring Belle completely. _He needed to apologize_ Belle continued to tell herself stubbornly, _he was in the wrong_. However, as the day went by, and they both sat in chilly silence, Belle felt her resolve fade more and more.

_Don't let him off easy. He owes you far too many apologies and if you back down now he will keep lying, _Belle's conscious whispered to her fervently each time she felt like breaking their silence and trying to salvage their happy little adventure together. No, she will not be the first to give in.

After half the day sped by, Belle grew restless and so, with a determined set of her jaw, she shifted forward and grabbed her leather bag from the seat next to Rumpelstiltskin so that she could bring out her first novel to read. Her movement made Rumpelstiltskin start and he watched through narrowed eyes as she dragged the bag onto her lap, her own narrowed eyes not once leaving his.

Two could play at the silent treatment and Belle raised her brows at Rumpelstiltskin in a challenge, hopefully conveying through her glare that she was still angry at him. Yes, it was passive aggressive, and yes a small part of Belle winced at her own petty stubbornness, but she needed to stand her ground. Didn't she?

Without breaking their gaze Belle reached into the bag and pulled out her first book and noisily flipped it open, turning the pages with extra pressure and nearly crinkling the edges. Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes at the immature gesture and with one last look of indifference he settled back onto his seat and closed his eyes.

Belle huffed angrily through her nose and looked down to the book in her hands. It was the one that Rumpelstiltskin had picked out and Belle almost returned it to her bag, just to spite him, however she had already started reading it the night prior and she found herself once again absorbed in the story where she had left off.

_It was real, it was within his grasp. The Aercus Aeterni was a beautifully gilded thing; depictions of the beginnings of all life and the struggle of the first magic users caressed the sides of the box and felt warm under Blackbeard's touch. This was the treasure he had been searching for, this was his destiny. _

_'The cave is collapsing Captain!' cried his first mate and Blackbeard looked up at the rumbling of the cavernous ceiling. _

_'Hoist the anchor! And let loose the sails, the Jolly Roger leaves as soon as we board!' cried Blackbeard as he grabbed the Aercus Aeterni and slid down the wet stones to where his first mate sat in the small row boat, his oars already dancing within the cold salty waters. Rocks began to fall as Blackbeard rowed out of the mouth of the cavern and into the open ocean. The Jolly Roger was close at hand and Blackbeard let out a mighty roar of laughter, they would make it! _

_The weather turned for the worse, and the blackened water's moved higher and higher, making the small rowboat crash dangerously around. Finally, the dread pirate Blackbeard and his first mate safely made it up the rope ladder and onto the decks of the ship. _

_Cold rain pelted upon the wooden decks and made it slippery underfoot. Blackbeard stalked the decks, the arc under arm, with no such notice of the vicious rain and panicked yells from his crew as they attempted to sail a safer distance away from Blackheart island. _

_'Throw your backs into it Gents!' cried their fearless captain as he climbed the crooked steps toward the bow of his ship. Suddenly, the ocean appeared to open up before them, and with a deafening roar and great burst of light, from the dark depth of the ocean arose the protector of the Island, the great Sea Witch. Her large mass caused the waves to crash even harder against the ship, her loud evil scream echoed deep within the fearful hearts of the entire crew, all except Captain Blackbeard who merely grinned at the sea witch, his black eyes glowing with mirth. But then, just as the Sea Witch reared back her mighty trident…"_

"We're here." Rumpelstiltskin sang as he jumped out the carriage. Belle looked up startled and gripped the corners of her book tightly before sighing angrily. It was nearly nighttime and Belle realized that they had come to a complete stop.

Belle poked her head out the carriage door and frowned up at the crooked looking building before her. Looking left and right, Belle could see a few scattered houses and a dirty cobblestone road, with no road signs at all.

"Where is here exactly?" she asked with trepidation as she gingerly stepped down from the carriage, her new cloak wrapped tightly around her body in an attempt to protect herself from the chilly spring night. Looking closer, Belle could see now that the building they were stopped in front of was a Tavern of sorts, perhaps an Inn and up in the distance behind the Inn, Belle could make out the mouth of a large cave within an even larger mountain, though this mountain was not as big as the ones surrounding the Dark Castle.

"Moonbright, I believe." Was Rumpelstiltskin's response as he too looked about the area, "We'll stop here for the night and leave in early morning."

Belle nodded idly and then looked back at the Tavern. It was a plain building with basic plaster siding and dark wooden beams, but there was a warm glow and sounds of laughter coming from inside that had Belle feeling both nervous and excited at the same time. She almost forgot about Rumpelstiltskin's dishonesty and nearly reached for his arm in her excitement, but at the last minute she remembered that he had yet to make an apology and so she busied herself with grabbing her bag from the carriage instead to save face before a groom standing nearby led the horses and carriage to the adjacent stables.

"So we will be staying in a Tavern?" Belle asked, glancing up at the sign hanging above the door depicting a pickaxe carving a stone.

"A dwarven Tavern." Rumpelstiltskin emphasized, coming up to stand close to Belle's left side. Her eyes went wide and she turned to look at Rumpelstiltskin, the excitement bubbling up and replacing her irritation.

"A Dwarven Tavern? Actual Dwarves?" Belle gestured with her hand pulling at an imaginary beard. Belle had read about the legends of the dwarves, how they carved out mountains looking for precious metals and instead discovering pixie dust. But Belle had always assumed that dwarves were only from fairytales and that the fabled Dwarven folk actually existed.

"The very same, see that mountain?" Rumpelstiltskin gestured to the mouth of the cave and Belle nodded enthusiastically, "Well, it's a fairy dust mine, one of the largest and oldest within the Southern Kingdoms."

Belle couldn't help but smile animatedly. Fairies _and _Dwarves, she couldn't believe it!

Belle watched curiously as Rumpelstiltskin lifted the hood of his reddish brown cloak and draped it over his head, obscuring his face from view,

"Wouldn't want to cause a scene." He tittered playfully as he sauntered to the door and opened it widely, waited patiently for Belle to go through it.

"Thank you." Belle murmured as she crossed into the entryway to the Inn

The Inn was well loved, she could tell that much, what with peeling plaster walls, warn out dark cobblestone floors coated with a thin layer of straw (probably to help soak up any spilled beer Belle assumed) and warm glowing lanterns sprinkled thorough out, casting friendly glows among the smiling faces of its many patrons in the tavern part of the Inn. Of course being a Dwarf tavern, the ceilings were a bit low with dark oak beams jutting here and there, but Belle found she didn't have to slouch at all for she was just short enough to be comfortable. A glance over to her travel companion showed that Rumpelstiltskin also had no troubles moving about either for he was only a few feet taller than herself.

Looking around, Belle was delighted to see a few tables filled with actual Dwarves, their beards long and their pickaxes piled neatly next to each other. All of the Dwarves were drinking and either singing songs, or laughing loudly. Of course there were others that weren't Dwarvish at all, a few nearly scraping their heads along the low hung ceiling. Belle guessed that perhaps they were fellow travelers, or perhaps they also lived in the village along with the Dwarves? She found herself shyly stepping back from the crowd, the group of people feeling a bit overwhelming for a girl who had spent the past year alone in a large Castle, but she soon felt more at ease as she became more accustomed to the happy noise of people.

For a brief moment Belle had worried that the joyful singing, and lively conversation would end the minute Rumpelstiltskin walked in – He was after all the Dark One and not an easy man to miss with his interesting appearance and flamboyant dress, however to her surprise no one even looked up to see the new visitors, except of course the people working for the tavern itself.

Belle and Rumpelstiltskin walked up to the bar to where a cheerful looking older woman was wiping the counter. She smiled brightly at the two of them and immediately tossed her rag away and wiped her plump hands along her slightly dirty apron.

"Well hello there! What can I get for you two?" she greeted with a welcoming voice, and Belle couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face.

Rumpelstiltskin pulled back his hood just enough for the woman to make out his facial features without really showing his mottled skin and he returned the woman's smile with a warm grin of his own, though Belle noted the look of irritation in his eyes when he glanced at an especially drunk Dwarf who had missed his seat at the bar and fell to the ground, his bellowing laughter echoed by half the tavern.

"My wife and I are looking for a room for the night, is there anything available at this hour?" He asked in an accent that sounded eerily similar to the Inn keepers'.

Belle whipped her head to look at Rumpelstiltskin, surprised at being referred to as his wife, of all things. The Inn keeper however didn't even blink an eye and instead smiled knowingly at the two of them.

"Well of course, we always have room for respectable guests such as yourselves!" she replied before leaning forward, "Newlyweds are we now?" she asked with a wink and Belle felt herself blushing and looking away, a flutter beginning to form low in her belly.

"As of this morning, indeed." Was Rumpelstiltskin's swift reply and Belle was shocked when he reached down and lifted Belle's hand, turning it over and placing an affectionate kiss on her palm before pulling her closer to his side. Embarrassingly Belle's blush deepened and she found herself at a loss for words, the butterflies in her stomach growing flutterier and she found herself smiling stupidly at the Inn Keeper.

"Looking for a place to stop off for the night before heading out to spend the rest of our honeymoon in Southead."

Belle stared at Rumpelstiltskin as the lies flowed smoothly from his lips and she continued to smile stupidly while he and the Inn keeper exchanged payment for the room. Belle and Rumpelstiltskin were quickly escorted up a set of narrow wooden stairs and into a medium sized bedroom, the fire glowing softly in the small fireplace casting off an inviting warmth onto the plain bed, which appeared to be half the size of her own at the Dark Castle.

"Here we are! Now, dinner is of course included in the price. Will you and your wife be enjoying your meals in the room or will you be joining us downstairs? It's a mighty fine crowd we got tonight, nothing but the local folk, and a few people from a few towns over. A hearty bunch but completely harmless and always welcome to new people!" The Inn Keeper was a very talkative woman who laughed quite a bit and Belle liked her all the better for it. She also knew that Rumpelstiltskin would not share her love for the chatty and lively woman. She stole a quick glance at him and grinned at the small look of annoyance on his face.

Rumpelstiltskin opened his mouth to speak, but fortunately Belle was quicker than he.

"We would love to join you downstairs actually. My husband is especially fond of meeting new people."

Belle pointedly ignored what she could feel was a slight glare from Rumpelstiltskin, and instead smiled warmly at the Inn Keeper who nodded happily with another of her big smiles and clapped her hands.

"Excellent! Always love meeting a kindred spirit, I do! My name is Josephine by the way, and I will see you two lovely people downstairs, once your all settled in!" Josephine laughed and with one more big wink to Belle and a nod to Rumpelstiltskin, who had sullenly retreated further into the room, she left.

Belle nodded her thanks to the jolly older woman before shutting the door firmly behind her and sighing happily.

"I like her." She said with a grin as she pulled off her new cloak and delicately placed it on a nearby chair. Rumpelstiltskin snorted disapprovingly and waved a hand to make the fire in the fireplace burn a bit brighter.

"So, we will be joining all the rest of them downstairs will we?" Rumpelstiltskin sang in annoyance as he tossed his cloak onto the floor and slumped into one of the wooden chairs facing the fireplace, his boots resting on the seat of the chair across from him. Belle frowned disapprovingly at the bottoms of his muddy feet and bent down to gather up his cloak where it was crumpled on the floor, placing it next to her own after a few wipes with her hand.

"You don't have to go down if you don't wish to, Rumple. I however have never been in a tavern, let alone a Dwarf tavern. Besides, I haven't forgotten about your… misconduct from earlier. _And _ I am not about to do everything you want to do, for once I will do what I want to do." She stated firmly before tossing her leather bag onto the bed and rifling through, looking for a new ribbon to tie her hair up.

Rumpelstiltskin stared at her like she was crazy before quickly jumping to his feet and pointing a claw into Belle's face,

"You are not here as my guest, you are the help. The help doesn't tell the master what to do!"

Belle swatted his hand away and rolled her eyes before moving away from the fireplace and to the door, her hair securely tied out and away from her face.

"Are you coming or not? I don't think it would look right for my _husband_ to leave me unaccompanied down in a tavern, do you?" Belle replied with a grin, enjoying the look of surprise on Rumpelstiltskin's face.

Belle was not entirely sure where her boldness had suddenly sprung out of, but she was enjoying it immensely. She waited for Rumpelstiltskin to do something, _anything_ to stop her from leaving their room, but when he didn't she smiled to herself and decided to be a bit merciful,

"I would like it if you would join me, though Rumple. Really…"

Belle grasped the metal latch to the door and turned slightly to face him. He frowned and rubbed his forefinger against his thumb at his side for a moment in thought before letting out an exasperated sigh and stalking toward the door.

"Fine." He snapped, ignoring Belle's look of triumph, "But no funny business. We don't speak to anyone, and don't tell anyone your name, got it?"

Belle nodded solemnly before smirking and exiting the room.

"After you, _wife." _Rumpelstiltskin murmured, his eyes glinting almost playfully now in the light and Belle found herself feeling nearly giddy at the title, though why she couldn't really say.

"_Husband." _She grinned before leading the way to the bar, stopping halfway down the steps and turning back to look at Rumpelstiltskin when a thought occurred to her.

"What about your cloak? Aren't you worried you will be recognized?"

Rumpelstiltskin snorted and continued down the stairs, squeezing past Belle and onto the main floor.

"Embarrassed to be seen with me?" he asked with a grin, though Belle noted that his smile did not quite reach his eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous." She scolded gently, "however, don't you think the presence of the _Dark One_ will make things a little… tense?"

Rumpelstiltskin considered her for a moment before shaking his head and holding out his arm for Belle to take. Without hesitating she looped her arm through his and let him lead her into the loud seating area.

"No need to worry about that, I've already placed a bit of glamour on myself. No one will recognize me, not unless they have magic and can sense mine at work." He replied, guiding her up to a darkened booth hidden near the back with a good view of the entire tavern. Belle frowned and looked Rumpelstiltskin from head to foot before sliding into the booth. His skin was still a grey green and his eyes were still larger than a normal human's eyes; all in all he looked exactly the same as he normally did.

"You look the same to me." She responded, sliding all the way to the wall of the booth.

"Well it's not for your benefit, Dearie." He retorted peevishly and sliding in next to Belle.

She opened her mouth to argue when Josephine bounded over with a loud laugh and a tray with two large mugs of mead balanced on top.

"Ah I see our newlyweds have decided to come down from the little love nest!" she laughed jollily and placing the two mugs before them, "Mead is on the house tonight my love's! And Jasper will be by with the stew very soon, I hope you like mutton!"

Josephine barked another loud laugh with Belle contagiously laughing along with her. Rumpelstiltskin smiled politely but Belle could see him grinding his teeth ever so slightly in annoyance, so before he snapped at Josephine or decided to turn her into something small and easily killable, Belle placed a calming hand on his knee and was pleased to see him relax slightly in his seat.

Fortunately for her, Josephine was called over to another table and left Belle and Rumpelstiltskin to their drinks in peace.

"She laughs too much." Rumpelstiltskin complained, and Belle snorted into her mug,

"You don't laugh enough." She replied before taking a swig of the beverage. It was much stronger than Belle had anticipated and she felt herself sputter and cough a bit in surprise.

Rumpelstiltskin let out a small chuckle at Belle's expense before raising his own mead and clinking it against Belle's cup.

"Best start with small sips." He said snidely with a grin and taking a long swig from his own drink.

They sat in silence for a long while, Rumpelstiltskin scanning the tavern with a shrewd eye and Belle watching the patrons with her chin in her fist.

It was an interesting assortment of dwarves and people co mingling together and talking over each other. Belle watched a table of especially rowdy dwarves sing a jolly song together in their native tongue, the playful way their drinks sloshed to the ground making Belle giggle despite her brooding companion.

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself." Rumpelstiltskin mumbled into his nearly empty mug and Belle shot him a disapproving look.

"You didn't have to come down you know. You could have brooded upstairs in that room the whole night instead of brooding here."

"I'm not _brooding_."

"Are too." Belle sighed and sat back into her seat, her glass of mead cradled in her hands. "If you're not going to apologize for lying to me, then the least you could do is not pout all night and just… I don't know… have fun for once."

"I don't have to apologize." Rumpelstiltskin snapped crankily, turning angry amber eyes to Belle. Belle returned his stare and ground her teeth slightly before taking a swig from her mead. Placing the mug heavily down, Belle thrummed her thumbnail against the gnarled wood of the table and continued to stare at Rumpelstiltskin.

"Your right." She said brusquely and Rumpelstiltskin's eyebrows shot up in surprise,

"I am?"

"Of course." She tersely replied her voice coloured slightly with hurt. "Like you said, I'm just your maid, and you are my employer. You don't have to apologize for anything," Belle paused, leaning forward, "however I would appreciate it, as your friend, if you would."

Rumpelstiltskin continued to stare at Belle, his nostrils flaring slightly.

"The Dark One does not apologize." Was his infuriating response and Belle gaped at him angrily and sat back in her seat.

"Did you seriously just refer to yourself in the third person? Why are you always so difficult?"

"Why are you always so difficult!" he shot back with a glare. Belle scoffed in disbelief and quickly grabbed her mug of mead before sliding down the bench and shoving Rumpelstiltskin out of the way.

"Move please." She mumbled heatedly and Rumpelstiltskin jumped out of the booth, his mouth slightly ajar.

"Where are you going?"

Belle shot him a glare and stumbled ungracefully out of the booth, her skirt slightly tangled underfoot,

"I'm having my dinner nearer to the bar, with people who probably aren't _afraid_ of apologizing once in a while." She replied bitingly before stomping across the room and settling at a small table near the center of the room and at the heart of the loud laughter. With a huff she slumped in her seat, not caring about how unladylike it was to slouch. This was her adventure, and neither Rumpelstiltskin nor any code of proper conduct was going to tell her how or where she would sit.

"Trouble in paradise already my love?"

Josephine's loud voice had Belle sitting straighter in her seat and smiling kindly at the plump woman as she set a steaming bowl of soup before Belle.

"Thank you, this looks delicious." Belle replied graciously, slowly taking a spoonful of the brownish stew to her lips and blowing to cool it a bit.

"Family recipe, passed down through the years and landing in my nearly capable hands." Josephine laughed, her green eyes twinkling merrily when Belle made a delighted sound.

"It tastes just as good as it looks thank you Josephine."

The pleasant woman smiled and then leaned forward so that Belle could hear her over the roar of the tavern guests.

"Don't you worry my dear. Whatever he did, he will make up for, just you wait. Men are easy; they can't stand being alone, always wanting approval or company." She laughed. "A lover's spat is always a sign of a good relationship, means you care about each other enough to fight. And I should know! Me an' Jasper been married going on thirty – eight years now, and we fight every Tuesday." She said with a sage nod of her head toward the plump with rosy cheeks man heading the kitchen.

Both Belle and Josephine glanced over to where Rumpelstiltskin had slumped further into the booth, only the tips of his pointed boots shining in the light of the tavern.

"He's a very lucky man, having the love of a one as pretty and sweet as you." Josephine continued with a twinkle in her eye.

Belle felt her face heat and she was slightly ashamed at lying to Josephine. Opening her mouth, Belle wanted to clarify her relationship with Rumpel, but Josephine held up a hand,

"Now don't try and argue with me. I know love when I see it, and you and him are the real thing. Just remember, whatever it is your fighting about, don't go to bed angry! Some wise advice from one married woman to another, alright love?" And with another wink and a friendly pat on the arm, Josephine was off to refill more goblets at a table of dwarves behind Belle. Belle glanced once more to where Rumpelstiltskin was hiding away and when both their eyes met, they each turned quickly away and attempted to finish their respective meals in silence.

Rumpelstiltskin was the first to disappear from the room and Belle watched his back as he quickly moved up the narrow staircase toward their accommodations and she sighed bitterly. Reaching into her skirt pocket, Belle pulled out a small pocket book on the different plants that could be found within the vicinity of the Dark Castle and she began to read it in silence, slowly sipping at her third mug of mead, poured by Josephine's heavy hand. As the fires died down, so did the loud and gay laughter of the patrons , and was soon replaced by a gathering of both Dwarf and Man at one of the long tables near the fire, sharing stories from their childhoods and singing songs from their hometowns.

Belle slowly abandoned her place at the small table and carried her mead with her to join the others. A few of the Dwarves stood and nodded to Belle in happy greeting, letting her into their closely knit circle. She sat there quietly and simply listened to them speak, each attempting to outdo the other with salacious stories or beautiful song. Three of the older Dwarves began to sing an old Dwarven hymn and she felt lulled into a calm and peaceful silence by their low rumbling baritone voices;

_In Moonbright, high within the misty mountain side,_

_The mighty axe swung swift, mighty and true_

_It pierced the glittering rock with both strength and Dwarven pride,_

_Revealing the sparkling magic of the Fey._

_Our purpose was found, our lives were bound,_

_To magic, our mistress, our guide…_

The lyrics were simple, but Belle found herself smiling wistfully none the less, and the entire inn fell silent as they dwarf song continued on in low almost hypnotic tones. A few of the men fell into a light slumber, slouched drunkenly in their seats and their mugs of mead tipping precariously in their fists.

"Hey Moody, tell us the one about the Dragon!" one of the Dwarves said with a nod to a dark bearded Dwarf who stood a whole foot taller than the rest of his Dwarf brethren.

"Oh I don't know about that, you sure that's an appropriate story to tell in front of our fair maiden here?" Moody winked at Belle's direction and she laughed merrily along with the rest of the group.

"Oh don't be shy on my account, I love a good story." Belle replied with a smile and the small group of elves and men hooted and grinned, elbowing Moody in his side.

"Go on Moody; make it a good one this time!" One of the men called from the back of the group, his pipe already billowing a great cloud of grey smoke which circled around his head which just barely touched the roof.

"Alright alright, listen carefully, for this is a true story. I heard it from an acquaintance of mine, and he heard it from his mum who heard it from her mum…" Moody elaborated, and a small portion of the group booed at him playfully and urged him to get on with it. Moody let out a deep laugh and continued,

"The story is about a Dragon. But not just any old dragon, but one with Magic. A dark magic, the darkest in all the land. Legend has it that the dragon was once a normal man, the spinner they called him…"

"Why'd they call him the spinner?" a Dwarf shouted from the back of the room, but the rest of the group threw pieces of bread at him to get him to shut up. Moody shrugged his shoulders and went on with his tale;

_Nearly two hundred years ago, the spinner found himself thrust into the heat of battle. The Ogre wars were the most terrible of all the wars in ALL the seven kingdom. Man and Dwarf banded together to fight the Ogres, but they were too strong. The spinner was not a man of great strength, nor was he a man of courage, but he powered on until one day he was injured by a great Ogre, his leg nearly severed in half by the Ogre's mighty jaws. _

_And so the spinner returned to his home with his body disfigured and his spirit broken. The Ogre wars went on for fourteen whole years and soon, the spinner's son was old enough to go into battle. The boy was far more courageous than his father, though courage is completely worthless against the mighty Ogre's. The boy's mangled body was returned to the spinner and his wife and the spinner grieved so loudly that the entire village could feel his pain. _

_The spinner locked himself way, disappeared into his hovel and soon he grew cold and angry at the injustice of the world. They say he made a deal with the originator of evil himself- turning him into a fierce and mighty dragon. The dragon burst from his hovel, and in a burst of fire he flew across the kingdom and to where the Ogre war was raging on. The mighty dragon destroyed the entire Ogre army with one breath of fire, melted the forests and destroyed the land, before turning back into the man once more. _

_They say that to this day, the dragon hides away in the mountains, surrounded by his gold and mourning the loss of his son, killing all those who dare enter into his solitude…_

Moody grinned ominously at the group as they cheered in approval at the tale.

"I heard a tale like that, only it wasn't a dragon but an imp that ended the ogre wars." Said a plump young man across from Belle,

"No no no, it was a dragon for sure. No imp could destroy a whole Ogre army." Argued a particularly short dwarf in the back of the group,

"If the Imp was a powerful sorcerer he could," retorted the plump young man before hiccupping drunkenly.

Belle sat back in her seat and listened for a while to the group arguing about the different versions of the same story. Belle laughed along with the group as they continued to tell their own versions of various dragon tales and she slowly felt her annoyance with Rumple dissipating slightly.

Every so often she glanced up to the stairs, thinking about what she should do. She was not in the wrong, that was for certain. However, would her pride ultimately ruin the pleasant camaraderie she and Rumpelstiltskin had finally found within the past month? With a sigh Belle lifted her mug up to take another drink only to find it completely empty and she pulled it back to stare at the emptiness.

"someone pour the lady a drink!" one of the dwarves called out, nodding in Belle's direction, and each member of their small party let out a rumble of approval and a call for more Mead. Belle giggled a bit drunkenly and shook her head vehemently, noting how her hair was loose from its ribbon. It must have dropped somewhere on the floor…

"Oh no, thank you. I should be heading off to bed, I have an early start."

The group let out a small moan of protest as Belle stood from her spot and bid the group adieu with a bright smile.

"Visit us again wont you my Lady?" Moody laughed, lifting his mug of mead in a salute to Belle. She grinned but didn't dare give him a straight answer, for in truth she greatly doubted she would ever see them again. With one more shout of farewell, Belle made her way a bit unsteadily up the narrow flight of steps and to her room.

Tentatively Belle opened the door and poked her head in, surprised to find that Rumpelstiltskin was sitting in the same wooden chair by the fire he had been in earlier, staring contemplatively into the glowing embers. He looked up when Belle closed the door behind her and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly upwards in a half smile, before it drooped back down.

"I see you've had a good time." He murmured, once again staring intently into the fire. Belle sighed slightly at the stubborn man, her head spinning ever so slightly from the mead. Before she could think up a sarcastic retort Rumpelstiltskin was nodding to the spot directly behind Belle.

"You may take the bed, I find I don't require as much sleep as I used to." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Belle glanced at the bed and frowned and sighed again, before sitting on the bed and slowly pulling off one boot then the other. She would have to sleep in her dress she supposed, and she blushed when she realized she would be sleeping in the same room as Rumple. If he decided to sleep at all that is…

"Oh and uh, this is for you."

Belle lifted her head and looked at Rumpelstiltskin who had stood from his seat, producing a small purple flower from his vest pocket. Belle blinked down at the flower in surprise and looked back up at his face.

"It's a flower." She said dumbly, gently reaching forward and taking the delicate thing from Rumpelstiltskin's outstretched hand.

"Obviously," he replied sarcastically, "It's not just any flower, it only grows within these mountains. It's tainted with pixie dust, gives it that unnaturally translucent purple sparkle."

Belle turned the dainty flower in her hands, and inspected the nearly clear petals which indeed sparkled gently in the light when Belle turned it a certain way.

"It's beautiful." Belle smiled softly before bringing the flower close to her chest. Though he did not outright apologize, Belle decided that this small gift was good enough for her and her soft smile turned into a slightly drunken grin. "I accept your apology." She replied with a playful twirl of the flower. Rumpelstiltskin frowned at her before he shook his head,

"It's a flower, Belle, not an apology."

Belle only chuckled and dipped her head shyly before standing and taking a small step toward Rumpelstiltskin. She looked up into his large eyes and smiled appreciatively at him.

"Thank you for the flower then." She said before rising up onto the tips of her toes and giving him a soft peck on the cheek in thanks. She could have sworn she saw a bit of colour blossoming in Rumpelstiltskin's face, but Belle just attributed it to a mixture of the fire and her slightly drunken imagination as she pulled back and gave him a small nod to which he merely watched her hesitantly,

"Goodnight Rumple."

"Goodnight, Belle."


	12. This Provincial Life

Belle's sleep was dreamless and peaceful – never had she ever slept as well as she did that night on the lumpy mattress at the Inn. For the first time in days Belle did not have the nightmares of her heart being ripped out, or getting lost in hedge mazes.

She wasn't sure if it was the several mugs of Mead she had the night before, or if it was because was finally away from the Dark Castle and experiencing things she always wanted to experience, or perhaps it was the fact that she wasn't sleeping alone that lulled her into the best sleep of the year.

Belle slowly awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside the window; the early morning light just barely reaching through the thin linen curtains and stretching across the well worn sheets Belle had burrowed herself into. Belle found herself lying on her side facing in toward the window and she smiled when she spied a beautiful blue bird chirping on the ledge of the well loved windowsill.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and was very glad that her heavy drinking didn't seem to affect her the way she thought it would. She definitely remembered reading about the side effects of drinking too much and waking up with splitting headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light. She even remembered mornings after Galas and Balls that Rosalind and Josette's had attended, both girls either stating their illness and taking breakfast in bed, or angrily ordering servants to cover the drapes as they winced in the happy daylight.

_ 'For God's sake Belle, would you keep your voice down?'_ Rosalind had cried once over breakfast after a particularly strenuous coming out party for one of the neighboring Duke's daughters, her long pale fingers pinching the bridge of her nose in a similar way Rumpelstiltskin sometimes did when he really didn't want to deal with another irritating matter, or if Belle was asking far too many questions.

Smiling Belle rolled over onto her other side and drowsily looked around the dimly lit room. She had expected to see Rumpelstiltskin still occupying the chair by the fireplace, however she was surprised to find that he was instead fast asleep sitting on the floor by the side of the bed, his head rolled slightly to the left and resting against the side of the feather mattress.

Belle smiled drowsily at the peaceful look upon his face and she lowered her head back to the pillow so that she was now at the same level as his face. Seeing Rumple in such a state of pure tranquility was novel to Belle who had become used to his overly expressive ways and crinkled forehead. The Dark one was larger than life, but in this moment Rumpelstiltskin was just a man sleeping away.

Rumple stirred and Belle couldn't help her amused grin when his eyes sleepily blinked open before he inhaled sharply, and started abruptly, his hands fluttering at his side, as if surprised he had fallen asleep at all.

"I thought you said you never sleep?" Belle teased, earning her a glare from Rumpelstiltskin before he jumped to standing position.

"I wasn't asleep." He snapped before waving his hand and magically changing his outfit from the night before into something a bit darker and more covered in scales. Belle sat up slowly and stretched, while admiring the dark leather jerkin he decided to wear that day. The man did know how to dress…

"Oh I see," she continued, tucking her knees up to her chest and nodding knowingly, "You were just resting your eyes then." Belle laughed at the look of contempt Rumpelstiltskin quickly shot her way before he plopped down in the chair by the fire.

Belle looked down at her wrinkled dress in dismay, suddenly wishing she could just snap her fingers like Rumpelstiltskin and magic a freshly pressed dress. As it was she was limited in resources and decided she needed to change the old fashioned way. Standing from the bed, Belle walked over to where a simple ivory change screen sat in the corner creating a private space for her to dress, dragging her leather bag that contained her other dress along with her.

Before disappearing completely behind the screen, Belle peeked her head from around the corner and narrowed her eyes at Rumpelstiltskin who had followed her movements with his eyes at his place by the fire, which had sprang to life and began to fill the chilly room with a refreshing warmth that removed the goose bumps that formed upon Belle's skin.

"Do you mind turning your head? I would be more comfortable knowing you're not staring intently at this screen while I get naked behind it." She asked, while fighting the slight tug at the side of her mouth, knowing that her wording was sure to embarrass the man (he was too easy to embarrass really).

As predicted, Rumpelstiltskin appeared flustered at her request and Belle had to stifle a bit of a laugh at the noticeable coloring of his cheeks and nervous flutter of his hands. He opened his mouth as if to protest but appeared to decide against such action and instead picked up his chair and turned it around so that his back was to Belle.

"That works too…" she murmured with a broad grin and ducked her head back behind the screen. She made quick work of her ties and shimmied out of last night's dress and quickly threw on the green travel dress she had packed, shivering again with the cold spring morning. The new dress wasn't nearly as wrinkled as her other dress so it would do for the time being.

The small flower from last night dropped from where it had been resting in the bodice of her corset, still completely intact and not crushed in the night. It fluttered prettily to the ground and Belle smiled softly at the flower before bending down and picking it up. It really was not as deteriorated as she had expected it to be and Belle was glad of it. Perhaps the fairy magic had something to do with its longevity?

Once Belle was sure that she was appropriately covered she came out from behind the screen, the purple flower twirling between her fingertips.

Rumpelstiltskin was still slouched in the wooden chair, his arms crossed over his chest and Belle quietly walked over and sat down in the chair opposite, reaching down and picking up her book on gardening that she brought and had placed near the chair the previous night.

"You may turn around now, I'm decent." Belle sang, turning the pages of the book to find the very center. Rumpelstiltskin peeked over his shoulder at Belle and watched as she placed the purple flower in the crease of her book and closed it, artfully pressing the delicate flower between the pages.

"I'm beginning to think that this trip was not the best idea I've ever had," Rumple grumbled with an accusatory glare at Belle, "Its making you too…"

"Cheeky?" Belle supplied with a grin. Rumpelstiltskin deadpanned and came to standing with Belle following suit, tucking the book securely under her armpit.

"I was going to say too comfortable, but I suppose _cheeky_," he sang sarcastically, "is another apt term. Your boldness may cost you one day." He warned.

"Rumple, stop." Belle sighed before walking over to her satchel and gently depositing her book inside, "You're not fooling anyone. I know you are not as dark as you seem as I've said again and again. Actions speak louder than words."

Belle looked over her shoulder and gave Rumpelstiltskin what she hoped was a reassuring look before leaning toward him with a sly smirk,

"If it makes you feel any better, in public I will be the epitome of fearful servant."

Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes and stalked over to the door.

"Were behind schedule." He stated peevishly, "I want to be in the Frontlands by the afternoon if at all possible, lest I miss my appointment there."

"And what appointment would that be?" Belle asked while gathering up her wrinkled clothing and neatly folding them into her bag.

"The none-of-your-business appointment." He replied before yanking open the door and heading down the stairs.

Belle sighed again and quickly closed the clasp on her bag before throwing her cloak around her shoulders and following Rumpelstiltskin down the stairs.

"Are we not going to stay for breakfast?" Belle asked quietly while they crossed the still sleepy Inn. Belle glanced toward the Tavern part of the Inn and smiled at the small group of friends she had made the night previous, all of them snoring loudly in drunken sleep, still surrounding the hearth where the fire had long died. She could see the slight wisps of their breath as it hit the cold air and she had to stifle a giggle when she noticed Moody stir and roll over only to spoon the young Monk that was visiting from a nearby monastery. He would have an interesting morning for sure she bet.

Belle hoped to have been able to catch Josephine so that she could say goodbye but when she looked to the bar she only saw a small woman sleepily wiping down the counter.

"It's too early for breakfast. Besides as I said before, I don't wish to be late." was Rumpelstiltskin's curt reply as they left the dwarf tavern and stepped out into the chilly early morning. Belle nodded her head sadly and wrapped her cloak tighter around her body.

The carriage was swiftly brought around from the back of the Inn, a different boy this time passing the carriage off to Rumpelstiltskin who tossed a large gold coin in the boy's direction.

Belle wondered briefly if the boy would question the fact that the carriage had no driver, but it was clear he was much too tired to really care or notice.

Rumpelstiltskin once again took the bag from Belle's hand and placed it on the seat inside the carriage, before turning to Belle and holding out his hand to help her up. She smiled gratefully at him and was glad to see him give her a tiny smile in return.

Unlike Rumple, Belle felt that this trip was actually pushing them into a more positive direction, and she felt a sort of thrill in knowing that she was finally beginning to get through to the inner workings of Rumpelstiltskin. Sure, he was still prickly and abrasive at times, but he had stopped threatening her life (a positive step forward) and he had also stopped trying to actively terrify her or turn his castle against her. In fact she even thought that perhaps he was beginning to actually enjoy her company; all the signs pointed in that direction.

As the carriage pulled away from the Dwarf tavern and hustled past the tall mountains where fairy dust was mined, Belle watched Rumpelstiltskin's face and the shadows from the awakening day dance across his sharp features and idly wondered when she had stopped seeing the beast and instead began seeing the man underneath.

"What's in the Frontlands?" Belle asked as the carriage rocked onwards through the mountains and toward the flatter planes of the Southern Kingdom.

"I wish to see a man about a specific magical item he has in his possession." Rumpelstiltskin replied.

"Why can we not travel there by magic?" she asked, curious as to the seemingly meaningless trip. Was it for her benefit that they were taking the long way to the Frontlands? Why take her along at all?

Rumpelstiltskin smiled fondly out the window before looking her way,

"It's protected. No one can travel to the Frontlands by magic, as per the protection agreement."

"Protected by whom?" she asked while leaning forward in her seat, curious to know what Rumpelstiltskin knew.

"Protected by myself, actually." He replied with his usual impish laugh.

Belle's eyes went wide and she sat back in surprise.

"Whatever for?"

"A deal. It's always a deal with me, Dearie. You should know that better than anyone by now."

Belle bit her lip and nodded her head in contemplation, "And what did you get in exchange?"

Rumpelstiltskin furrowed his brow slightly at the question and turned back to the window,

"I'm not too sure anymore…" he murmured as he gazed unblinkingly out the window.

The carriage became solemn in that moment and Belle couldn't shake the feeling that there was much more to the story than that, but for once she felt it was not right of her to pry.

Belle turned to her own window and watched as field upon field of wheat farms passed by. The houses became more spread out and humble, less showy like the ones from where Belle had grown up. It would seem that the people in this part of the world were mostly humble farmers, spending their days laboring under a hot sun and blue skies. It was milder in this part of the world and Belle wondered if her cloak would be needed for much longer. But as they moved further and further South Belle noticed that the houses again grew closer together. The roads looked to be well travelled and Belle could spot a patch of blue in the distance which she excitedly figured must have been the Ocean. Indeed, by the time they had made it into Southead Belle was on the edge of her seat and eying what was most definitely the Ocean spread out before the small harbor town.

It was a small yet quaint little fishing village located just west of the edge of a white stone cliff and spreading downwards toward the Southead harbor where Belle could spot at least a dozen or so small boats and at least three large ships anchored.

The air smelled of salt and fish and the town was brimming with busy people moving here and there around the street and paying no mind to the black carriage containing a mysterious dark stranger and his female companion.

"And were here." Rumpelstiltskin said in a loud voice making Belle jump in her seat.

Rumpelstiltskin gave her a mischievous smirk before pulling his hood overhead and jumping out the carriage. Belle slid across her plush seat toward the door and looked out at the bustling life around her. If she had felt overwhelmed by the crowd at the Tavern then the village of Southead made her feel even more shy and overwhelmed.

Rumpelstiltskin's hand came from under his cloak and extended toward Belle and she looked over at his face. Seeing the quiet reassurance there Belle smiled slowly and placed her hand in his and let him gently lead her down the two steps and onto the muddy cobbles. With swift movements Rumpelstiltskin scooped up Belle's hood and placed it over her head, obscuring her features like he did his own.

Not wanting to be carried away in the sea of people, Belle immediately placed her hand through the crook of Rumpelstiltskin's elbow and let him escort her away from the carriage, which had immediately been led away from a nearby stable hand. They moved slowly toward the bustling market place at the center of the town and Belle felt her excitement build greater and greater, her hand clutching tightly to her protectors arm.

Stalls with various fruits, vegetables and wares surrounded the area, and in the center of the Market square a medium sized circular fountain made from the same red stone as the rest of the houses sat. It featured four spouts pouring out clear water and clearly it was the very heart of the entire Village.

Women chatted around the fountain with their buckets of water in hand; children threw balls and chased wandering sheep around the market place while mothers followed close behind. No one paid any attention to the pair of them as they made their way around the outside of the market place. They were not exactly outside the crowd but not really a part of it either.

"I understand that the point of having our hoods up is discretion," Belle began while they casually moved around the Market, "But isn't it more conspicuous to have two hooded figures moving through a crowd where no one is hiding their faces?"

She looked up and could see the grin on Rumpelstiltskin's face beneath the shade of his hood as they walked up to one of the booths selling spools of string. A small woman with frizzy blonde hair sat up from her workbench and strutted over to where Belle and Rumpelstiltskin were standing and she smiled a wide and nearly toothless smile at them, nodding her head quickly and gesturing to the spools with her overly calloused hands.

"Ah my Lady, my Lord, that there is the best thread in the Frontlands. Strong thread, and in all sorts of sizes and colours, except blue." She said with a heavy accent. Belle smiled warmly at the woman who did not even seem to notice the way their faces were partially shielded.

"Ah well, then it's a good thing were not in the market for blue then." Rumpelstiltskin commented with a wolfish grin and Belle had to actively stop herself from narrowing her eyes, wondering what his game was.

Swiftly, Rumpelstiltskin pulled out a heavy purse that had definitely not been there before, and opened it up to reveal shining silver and gold pieces. He reached in and flipped a gold coin in the air and Belle watched in amazement as the woman quickly reached out and caught the coin before it hit the counter of her booth.

"One spool of the red," Rumpelstiltskin began in an authoritative voice, his high impish trill no longer in use (much to Belle's delight) and the woman nodded briskly and began collecting the spools of thread as Rumpelstiltskin named them off. He grabbed two of the green, one of the thick braided brown and three of the fine yellow thread. Belle had absolutely no idea what Rumpelstiltskin would want with all that thread, for she knew he could very well make it himself, but she dared not say a thing and merely stood by as the items were gathered. Rumpelstiltskin placed another gold coin followed by silver in the palm of the woman's small hand when his order was complete, and with a beaming smile the woman placed all the items in a woven basket, immediately handing it off to Belle who took it with a smile.

"A pleasure doing business My Lady," the woman nodded to Belle before turning back to Rumpelstiltskin, "My Lord."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded back and immediately placed Belle's free hand back into the crook of his elbow and they walked away, the basket of thread swinging at Belle's side.

"And what do you need thread for, might I ask?" Belle grinned with a raised eyebrow and leaning into Rumpelstiltskin's side.

"No need whatsoever, just proving a point. Nobody here cares if our faces are covered, not really. These people have nothing to fear. Not anymore."

"Then why cover them at all?" she asked

"Just because nobody in the village cares who we are, doesn't mean I want them to see us." He replied and giving her a look that said she should know better. They passed a few more stalls; each of them carrying a different thing, from fish to fresh fruits, and not a single person paid them any mind and merely continued on with their day.

Rumpelstiltskin turned a corner and led Belle down toward the Trader's gate and she eagerly glanced at each of the store windows, delighting in the various crafts offered in the town, from Taxidermy to Blacksmiths. Rumpelstiltskin had to pull her along when she became enraptured by what looked to be a small bookstore just off the roadway near to the Town Hall.

Rumpelstiltskin leaned downward and continued to speak in low towns into Belle's ear as they moved to less busy areas of the village, "To them we are merely upper class visitors looking to purchase wares and perhaps enjoy the fresh sea air. They have no worries, no fears. No magic user can enter here except me and so what's there to be suspicious about? Of course, there are plenty here who are not from the village, who may recognize me and try and bother me into making a deal which I am in no mood to do. For your own personal safety, I would prefer if you also would stay anonymous."

He smiled softly and gave Belle a small wink before pulling back. Belle couldn't help the small smile and slight blush on her face and she reluctantly tore her gaze away from the man at her side and back to the surrounding village.

_Why are you blushing, stop it this minute!_ She screamed at herself as they finally left the busier parts of town and walked down a side street toward the harbor front. Though the street was not nearly as populous as the others, there still were enough people bustling around, going from one storefront to another, to make Belle feel just a little bit dizzy and she was suddenly very glad she was not trying to make her way around on her own, with her size she would be swallowed up in the crowd for sure, never to be seen again.

"Now, I'm going to have to leave you on your own for a short while…"

Rumpelstiltskin's words made Belle start,

"On my own? But why?" she asked, feeling curiously disappointed and a bit nervous, her fear of being lost in the crowd now becoming closer to a reality. What had happened to her while she had been at the castle? She never had such anxiety around people before. Her mind traitorously supplied the last time she was in a crowd at the Winter Ball, dancing with Gaston... "I thought you said you needed my assistance?" she continued directing a look of displeasure Rumple's way and fighting down the anxious feeling at the pit of her stomach.

"You're not coming with me to make this deal. You will be perfectly fine out here on your own." He bristled impatiently and Belle felt like a scolded child. He looked at Belle from out the corner of his eye and sighed gently before continuing. "If you do find yourself in trouble, I will be able to find you. Just remember, do not tell anyone your name."

"You keep saying that. What does it matter if anyone knows my name?"

Rumpelstiltskin merely shrugged his shoulders, "Names have power…"

"Yes, you've said that. But _how _do they have power?" Belle interrupted impatiently.

Rumpelstiltskin appeared to mull over his answer, his eyes narrowed and focused on the people around him, as if they held the answer to his question.

"You can do many things with names," he began, "They are magic in and of themselves. The minute I know a name, I hold a certain power over them. I can use that name to bind a contract or to cast a curse, or even to enchant an object to see exactly where that person is."

Belle thought back to the mirrors in the castle and she thought about what he had said, "_I don't like to be watched…" _

"Like a mirror?" she mused out loud and Rumpelstiltskin's mouth curved up into a slight smile.

"Exactly like a mirror, mirrors are excellent portals into seeing what another person is up to. I always knew you were quick. Perhaps I should have insisted on you being my apprentice rather than my maid." He pondered with a wink and Belle grinned despite herself before wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"I don't think I would be a good magician, though it's nice to have for certain basic things…" Belle thought about the tall ladders and changing her dresses with a snap of her fingers. No, she really didn't have much use for any magic outside what Rumpelstiltskin and the Dark Castle already provided. "Anyway, that's what I have you for." Belle teased and Rumple only grinned back before clearing his throat and continuing on.

"As I was saying, mirrors are good conductors. A good sorcerer would merely need to speak the name of their intended into a mirror then, wherever that person is, the sorcerer would be able to see, as if they were right there with them. You can also find ways to spy through mirrors located in the vicinity of a certain area, but I find that personally a tedious thing."

"You don't do mirror magic?" Belle asked curiously.

"It's not really my style. That's the sort of magic Cora's daughter prefers to use…" Rumple trailed off with a casual wave of his hand before his mouth tightened into a tight line. Belle knew something was bothering him and she immediately figured it had to have something to do with Cora's daughter.

They moved along in silence away from the more populous areas of the town and headed toward the edge of the village where it dipped lower toward the docks. A tavern sat at the edge between the roadway leading downwards to the docks and a small path leading up to the cliffs edge. Rumpelstiltskin stopped at the fork in the road and turned to Belle with a stern look on his face.

"Now, you stay right here. Don't give out your name and don't wander. This town may be protected by my magic but that doesn't mean you should go gallivanting off with some random handsome stranger who decides to smile your way." He said with an impish glint in his eye and emphasizing each command with point of his long finger to which Belle merely pursed her lips at him and frowned.

"I've never gallivanted in my life." She replied matter of factly before crossing her arms over her chest. "And how long am I supposed to just stand here and wait for you?"

Rumpelstiltskin hummed thoughtfully tapped a blackened nail against his chin,

"Give me an hour, maybe two."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled when Belle dropped her arms and looked at him incredulously.

"Two hours? What am I going to do for two hours?" she asked with a breathless laugh. Her thoughts turned to the bookstore in the village but she immediately dismissed that notion remembering the crowds. If she were persistent enough she was sure she could rope Rumpelstiltskin into escorting her that way. She sighed inwardly at her ridiculous fears, when had she become such a coward?

Rumpelstiltskin waved his hand and produced a book from thin air, the same one he had given her to read for the journey.

"Something to pass the time." He sang as he tossed her the book. Belle sighed and gave him a smile as she shook her head,

"Well, go on then." She ordered before looking around for a bench or a spot of grass to sit on in wait.

Rumpelstiltskin surprised her when he reached out and grasped her free hand in his. His mouth curved up into an almost roguish grin as he brought her knuckles up to his face and placed a gentle kiss on top. Belle couldn't help the slight blush creeping up to her cheeks as she looked into his eyes. Pleasant shivers ran from her knuckles and down her arm and she could feel her abdomen flutter curiously. Then, just as Belle was about to suggest she come along instead of wait outside, Rumpelstiltskin let go of her hand and sauntered off in the direction of the Tavern which was filled with people, even though it was merely midday.

Belle pulled her hand up to her chest and idly ran her thumb along the ridge of her knuckles where his lips brushed her skin, watching as the door closed behind Rumpelstiltskin.

Once more she felt completely conflicted in her feelings toward Rumpelstiltskin and she wandered away from the tavern and up towards the deserted cliff edge where the grass was long and dancing gently in the breeze while deep in thought.

He had become surprisingly attentive over the last few months, and after Cora had made her presence known to Belle, he had become even more accepting of Belle's presence and slight touches. She always was a fairly affectionate person, and guiltily she admitted that at first her touches were used as a way to make Rumpelstiltskin uncomfortable – a small sort of power to keep her sanity in check whilst in her confinement – but somehow that had all changed and the tables reversed. Now she was the one blushing and getting nervous when he returned her gestures, though for some reason his touches felt much more intimate than her hugs and brushing of fingers.

When did she start to feel affection for the man underneath the layers of dark magic and beastly snarls? Was it when she was presented with the Library and healed her hands? Was it after she learned of the son he had lost?

Belle slowly walked up the steep hill and finally made it to the top, where the ground was completely overgrown with long grass and sprouts of wild flowers were sprinkled here and there. The wind was stronger up on the hill, the breeze coming off the ocean cold and salty, and Belle quickly drew the fabric of her cloak tighter around her in an attempt to keep the cold out.

Her hair whipped around her face and she had to pull the hood back in order to straighten the loose curls that covered her eyes. The toe of her boot hit a hard rock that was hidden by long grass and Belle looked down at the stone and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that it was not a hard rock, but rather a stone marker, grey and worn by time.

There where letters on the marker that were nearly flattened and Belle crouched down to wipe away the grass and loose dirt from the tablet as she tried to read the inscription. She cocked her head in curiosity when she realized that it was just a single name, though only the first half was evident as the stone had at some point cracked in half, the other half lost. _Morraine_ was the name and with a possible surname starting with the letter _R _but the rest of course was missing.

Belle straightened quickly and frowned down at her find and slowly backed up closer to the edge of the cliff where the heel of her boot made contact with another stone slab.

This one was bigger than the first and was in much better shape, though the grass and mud had completely covered the entirety of it, only leaving out a small corner to be eaten away by time. With gentle hands Belle slowly wiped away the dirt and uncovered a single name and small inscription etched into the stone.

_Baelfire, Beloved Son._

It was then that Belle realized what she was really looking at and she glanced upwards at the large expanse of hill, finally noticing a few jutting stones here and there as well as what was once a stone wall tracing around the area.

Her breath caught in her throat and she looked down at the grave marker at her feet. How long had they been sleeping here on this hill? The graves looked to be completely forgotten and Belle found herself feeling oddly heartbroken. Belle spotted a few wild flowers peering over the edge of the cliff and she made her way through the long grass, gingerly stepping over a few random slabs of stone and some slight bumps of earth that Belle figured were shallow graves, and she quietly gathered a few of the flowers. She looked out over the side of the cliff and across the deep expanse of ocean, the white rocks of the cliff contrasting beautifully with the deep blues of the sea.

It was a beautiful sight and she understood why a graveyard would have been placed up here in the first place.

She returned to the grave of _Morraine _and placed a handful of flowers on top of the broken stone and she sent a silent prayer upwards to whatever God was overlooking these souls before she moved back onto _Baelfire _and placed the last of her flowers on the slab. She remained crouched there over the grave marker, her hand idly tracing the lines of _beloved son_ and began creating a life story for the forgotten person – He grew up somewhere on the outskirts of the town, in a little farm overlooking the yellow wheat fields where he worked alongside his several siblings and loving parents… or perhaps Baelfire wasn't a farmer but was a sailor working hard on the unforgiving sea, his hands strong and firm from pulling up net upon net of fish all day long before retiring to loud laughter at the Tavern along with the rest of his friends.

Belle was so caught up with her imaginary life that almost didn't see the shadow of a man cast over the white slab of cold stone.


	13. Damsel in Distress

"A place like this is a bit morbid for a sweet looking thing such as you..."

The man's voice startled Belle from her daydream and she stumbled away from the gravestone at her feet and glared up at the tall figure leering down at her. Indeed he was a lot taller than herself, nearly as tall as Gaston though perhaps it was the man's lean frame that attributed to the apparent height difference between them.

His sandy brown hair hung limply over his one eye and she could tell by the slight glaze in the man's eye that we was not the most sober of men around. The man continued to leer at Belle, his mouth turned into a crooked grin as his eyes raked over Belle's crouched form.

Quickly standing, Belle straightened her cape around her body and lifted her head high, attempting to appear much bigger than she was.

_If Rumpelstiltskin can make himself appear bigger then why can't I?_

She thought as she straightened her shoulders and tried to emulate the Dark One himself.

"I didn't mean to startle you, Milady." The man drawled, though he didn't look a bit apologetic as he continued to languidly peruse her person. He made her skin crawl.

"Indeed, you should have made your presence known, for propriety sake…" Belle bristled while straightening her cloak and discretely wiping away stray pieces of grass from her skirts. The man barked a laugh and shook his head while running a gloved hand along his chin.

"Propriety? That's quite the big word." He laughed though Belle didn't exactly see the humour. "Well, forgive my intrusion, Milady. I'm the Sheriff around here. Nottingham's my name." He bowed his head and grinned at her smugly, clearly very proud of his title. Belle only gave him a curt smile in return and thought of a way to sneak past the man and return to where Rumple had left her. She should have stayed near the Tavern where Rumpelstiltskin was within a close distance.

"And does Milady have a name?" he grinned, his eyes focusing on a point below her chin and somewhere near Belle's breasts. She fought the urge to roll her eyes and shove past the sheriff and instead crossed her arms over her chest so as to cover herself from his wandering eyes.

"Verna." She replied with another curt smile.

Nottingham's eyes snapped back up to her face and his grin slightly faded and his eyes narrowed, as if trying to remember something important. Just as quickly as his eyes narrowed they widened again slightly and he stood just a bit straighter and grinned again, licking his dry lips this time before continuing.

"Verna. Lovely to meet you. Tell me Verna, what is a pretty girl like you doing in this ancient graveyard?"

Belle a nervous flutter at the pit of her stomach when Nottingham said her pseudonym, but her curiosity was slightly peaked at the mention of the graves,

"Ancient?" she parroted, attempting to distract Nottingham from her effort to exit the secluded graveyard and head toward the Tavern at the base of the hill.

"Well, maybe not ancient. However long ago the Ogre wars were," the man scratched his head in thought before looking down at a crumbling stone cross near his boot, "maybe three hundred years?" he said, giving the cross a kick with his boot and grinning as the rock crumbled away. Belle screwed her face up in disgust at his disrespect and shot him a small glare to which he completely ignored and instead attempted to give Belle another of his flirtatious looks.

"You know, I grew up around here and I know a lot about the history. Maybe you and I can head into town, I can show you around, maybe show you my place. I have quite the estate just off the main road…" he said with a grin and a waggle of his eyebrows. Belle grimaced again and fought another urge to roll her eyes; really why was it that men never got her hints?

"Actually, I should be getting back. My _husband_ will be waiting for me." Belle lied, adding an emphasis on 'husband'. Unfortunately the Sheriff seemed unfazed by her heavy hint and instead took a few steps toward Belle, effectively blocking her way around him. She could swerve to the right but there were a few bumps of shallow graves and gravestones sticking up and Belle just knew she would trip over them in her haste. She needed to just brush past him and quickly head back down to safety.

"Ah, blow him off. That husband of yours is a fool to leave a beauty like yourself alone and without an escort. Being the Sheriff, it's my duty to show beautiful and lonely women such as you a good time around my town."

"That's very generous, I'm sure," Belle replied with a frosty smile, "But I must decline. Now if you'll excuse me."

Belle made to brush past Nottingham but his hand shot out and caught her elbow before she could get away completely.

"Oh come now Verna, there's no need to be cold. I won't hurt you, I promise." He grinned.

"Please let go of me." Belle replied, all attempts at being strong quickly fading with the familiar scene before her. She felt that same urgency to run as she did back at the Winter Ball, and now she was alone once more with a man who just didn't understand the word no.

The Sheriff leaned closer to Belle and locked eyes with her, his mouth still grinning but his eyes now taking on a more serious look,

"I could arrest you, you know." He said lowly, his eyes dropping back down Belle's front and lingering again at the spot just below the clasp of her cape. Belle let out a mirthless laugh and shook her head in disbelief.

"On what grounds?" she replied hotly, her anger slowly overcoming her fear. He said it so easily that Belle wondered how many women he threatened into coming home with him.

Nottingham shrugged and slowly inched his hand away from her elbow, his gloved finger lightly tracing inside her arm,

"Doesn't matter, it's my word against you. Perhaps I caught you whoring yourself off up here. Prostitution is illegal in Southead you know…" He snickered as his hand slightly brushed against the side of Belle's left breast.

With flared nostrils Belle smacked his hand away with her left hand while her right hand made contact with the side of his cheek. Nottingham let out a shocked cry and stumbled away for a moment before breaking out into another grin, this time feral.

"Or I could arrest you for assaulting an officer of the law." He laughed before stepping back toward Belle and roughly grabbing her by the wrist.

"I believe the Lady said she wasn't interested, Mate." Another voice spoke off to Belle and the Sheriff's left and both heads turned toward the source. Standing about five steps away was a handsome dark haired man with an air of grace and an underlying feeling of danger just lurking beneath his charming grin and mischievous blue eyes. Of course, at the moment that feeling of danger that Belle could sense was directed toward the leering Sheriff still gripping Belle's wrist tightly in his gloved hand.

"This is none of your concern, Pirate." The Sheriff sneered at the man. Belle raised her eyebrows up in surprise and looked more carefully at the so called Pirate before her. He didn't exactly look like the sort of Pirate she read about. He didn't have a wooden leg, or a parrot or an eye patch; none of the markings of the classic Pirate.

The Pirate smiled widely and shook his head before raising a dark eyebrow at the Sheriff.

"Well, I am making it my concern, Sheriff. How could a pirate like me resist a damsel in distress." The Pirate dropped his gaze onto Belle and his face softened as he looked her in the eye, "Are you hurt, My Lady?" he asked softly, his blue eyes not once leaving her own.

"Just my wrist currently." Belle replied briskly and shooting a glare over to the Sheriff who sneered at the Pirate and tried to pull Belle toward himself, though Belle resisted.

The Pirate nodded and returned his gaze to the Sheriff, his blue eyes growing cold as his hand slowly drifted down to his belt.

"Unhand the Lady, Nottingham." The Pirate said with his hand resting on the hilt of a sword strapped to his side, "Its bad form to manhandle an unwilling maiden."

Nottingham sniffed in indignation and reached for his own sword,

"You gonna fight me for her?" Nottingham laughed as he gripped the hilt of his own sword and released it from its covering, his attention no longer on the girl in his grasp but now at the handsome pirate before him. With his focus no longer on herself, Belle quickly twisted out of his loosened grip and before Nottingham knew what was happening, Belle swung her basket of thread and hit Nottingham against his head and catching him off guard. As he turned toward Belle she moved again and threw her knee up squarely into Nottingham's middle and he doubled over with a loud grunt, his sword disappearing into the long grass.

Realizing his mistake, Nottingham reached out for his sword only to be forced to freeze in place as the Pirate's broadsword lightly cut into the side of the Sheriff's neck. Belle had fallen just a step behind and to the side of the pirate, in the safety of his shadow which was being cast by the late afternoon sun.

The Pirate smiled winningly as he pressed the edge of his sword just a bit harder against the soft skin of the Sheriff's neck.

"I believe you owe the lady an apology for your drunken misconduct, Sheriff. I believe you may have bruised her wrist" The pirate said through gritted teeth. Nottingham carefully gulped and eyed Belle with a withering glare,

"Apologies, Milady." He spit before wincing as the Pirates blade cut just a bit deeper before being removed altogether leaving a small trail of blood along Nottingham's neck.

"If I catch you manhandling a Lady again, I will slit you from navel to nose. You understand, _sheriff." _The pirate said with a big grin. The sheriff nodded rapidly and scrambled to his feet, reaching for his sword. However the Pirate was quick to stop his hand with his sword once more, clucking disapprovingly at the cowering Sheriff. "Swords mine now. You've lost your sword wielding privileges I'm afraid." The pirate said before scooping up the discarded sword and balancing it in his one hand while his other holstered his own broad sword.

"It's nice, good balance, lovely craftsmanship on the handle… I think I'll be able to get a good price on it. My thanks, Sheriff." The pirate said with a tip of his head. The sheriff swore under his breath and scrambled to his feet, quickly running down the hill and away from the Pirate and the Lady. Belle let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled gratefully at the pirate.

"Thank you for the help." Belle smiled, bending down and replacing the few spools of thread that fell out of her basket when she attacked the drunken Sheriff. The Pirate laughed and bent down to help retrieve one of the yellow spools that had rolled near his feet.

"It's no problem. That man always rubbed me the wrong way, I was only too happy to help." He smiled warmly and handing Belle the spool of thread to which she accepted gratefully. The Pirate then turned and headed past Belle and down the hill, his new sword tucked safely under one arm. Belle watched him for a bit before picking up her skirts and trailing after him.

"Are you really a Pirate?" she asked as she caught up to the man and walked along side him toward the juncture where the Tavern was situated. The man turned his head to Belle and smirked at her.

"That I am. Does that frighten you?" he asked playfully.

Belle let out a snort of laughter. Once upon a time she probably would have felt nervous but after nearly a year of living with the Dark One himself, the idea of being frightened by a Pirate was almost laughable.

"Not really. Does that disappoint you?"

The Pirate laughed out loud and shook his head no, "I didn't think you would be frightened. The way you skillfully handled that basket and your knee shows me that there is very little that frightens you."

Belle couldn't help but blush slightly, delighting in the slight compliment.

"I've handled my fair share of beasts in my time." Belle replied, thinking back to Gaston and shuddering a bit at the memory.

The Pirate nodded sagely, a hint of a smile still lingering on his mouth.

"Do you have a name?" Belle asked and interested to know what an actual pirate's name sounded like. Her books always spoke of pirates with the ridiculous names like Peg-Leg Jim, or Dastardly Jack.

"Jones. Killian Jones." He replied, stopping just before the fork in the road and giving Belle a deep and respectful bow. When he looked up from his lowered position he noticed the small flicker of disappointment in Belle's face and smiled once more, his blue eyes lighting up happily.

"Not what you were expecting love?" he laughed before returning to an upright position.

"I was expecting something a bit more pirate-y." Belle replied with a shy smile.

"Well, if it's any consolation, Killian Jones is only my land name." he smiled conspiratorially. Killian looked around as if making sure no one would overhear them before leaning toward Belle. "My crew actually refers to me as Hook. Captain Hook." He winked and Belle grinned happily.

"Captain Hook? That's much better." She laughed, "Does this mean you have your own ship?" she continued conversationally, wanting to prolong her conversation with her first pirate.

"Of course I do, what sort of Captain would I be if I didn't have my own ship?" He replied, playfully affronted. He turned then toward the docks and pointed out toward one of the larger ships tied up at the edge of the docks.

"See that ship right there? That's mine." He said proudly, like a man showing off his child. "The Jolly Roger is the fastest ship in the South, and maybe even the East as well…"

"The Jolly Roger?" she gasped delightfully before reaching into her basket to retrieve her book of adventure stories. Killian's brow furrowed as he watched in curiosity as Belle produced the blue tome and handed it over to him for his inspection.

"Adventures of the Seven Seas…" he read out loud before quirking his lips into a crooked smile. Belle excitedly opened the book in his hand and turned the pages to the story about Blackbeard and the Jolly Roger. Killian let out a short laugh and shook his head,

"This one is also called the Jolly Roger." Belle laughed.

"That's because it's the very same ship, love." He replied easily.

"What?" Belle gasped her eyes wide with surprise.

"This Jolly Roger," he pointed to the book before pointing to his ship, "Is one and the same. Blackbeard was my Captain before I took over the helm when he departed."

Belle's jaw dropped slightly and she glanced at the book then back up at the ship in the distance. _It can't be._

"Your Blackbeard's first mate?" she said in astonishment, "But this book was published at least two hundred years ago, you couldn't possibly have been a sailor under _the _Blackbeard…" Belle mused.

Killian laughed again and tilted his head in amusement, "Let's just say my crew and I spent a few years in a land where time stands still."

Belle smiled widely and clutched the book to her chest. "A land without time?" she replied excitedly and Killian nodded.

"Aye, Neverland. Don't ever go there though, it's a horrible place." He cautioned with an air of seriousness. Belle laughed and looked out at the ship, thrilled to see it in person.

"Would you like to take a look?" Killian asked, gesturing toward the Jolly Roger. Belle gasped lightly and stared longingly at the ship. _Yes I would love to take a look!_ Her mind excitedly agreed, but Belle shook her head and glanced at the Tavern where Rumpelstiltskin was probably still sitting.

"I can't… I shouldn't. I wish I could but I'm supposed to be waiting for someone." Belle replied sadly, biting her lip and turning apologetic eyes to Killian.

"How long were you supposed to wait for?" he asked with his eyes narrowed,

"About two hours…" she replied slowly, unsure of where Killian was going.

"And how long has it been?" He asked as he started moving toward the docks with his eyes still trained on Belle as he walked backwards. Belle thought for a moment and smirked,

"Perhaps a half hour."

Killian shot her a winning smile and continued to slowly back away. Belle felt herself being pulled forward and slowly following him away from the Tavern,

"Well then what's the harm? It won't take long…" He wagged his eyebrows flirtatiously, still backing away slowly.

"I shouldn't…" Belle laughed, her argument sounding weak to her ears.

"My Lady, I promise, no harm will be done. Most of my crew is still ashore so I won't be kidnapping you anytime soon, and besides I know exactly what your knee and basket swinging arm is capable of, so I won't be tempting to take away your virtue anytime soon." He grinned wickedly, "Unless you want to of course." He winked

Belle blushed and shook her head with a smirk, "You're terrible."

Killian laughed and stopped his backwards travelling.

"I promise just a little tour of my ship, fifteen to thirty minutes tops. And afterwards I will escort you back to wherever you need to be to meet your friend. Pirates honour." He said, lifting his free hand up to his chest and bowing his head respectfully.

Belle bit her lip and looked at the man before her, then back up to the ship from her books. They were now standing just at the Stern of the ship, a plank leading up toward the nearly empty decks, all but a handful of sailors still on board. She always dreamed of meeting a Pirate and boarding on his ship. Dreams when she was a little girl usually involved her becoming the Captain of her own Pirate ship and travelling the world and having adventures at sea.

It was only going to be a short while; Rumple wouldn't even know she was there. And if Killian were indeed not as honest as he appeared she could always call Rumple couldn't she?

Shooting a final look behind her at the Tavern, Belle returned her gaze to Killian, his face open and awaiting her decision and she smiled eagerly at him.


	14. A Pirates Life for Me

The cold wind nipped bitterly at her cheeks and the tip of her nose but Belle did not mind in the least. She breathed the salty sea air in deeply, slowly opened her eyes and looked out onto the sea. It was a vast expanse of blue upon blue which the sky had tinted with a light pink as the sun gently dipped lower beyond the horizon, marking the lateness of the afternoon. Her breath hitched in her throat as another small wave moved along the hull of the Pirate ship and vibrated upwards along the mast, causing the platform of the crow's nest to wave almost dangerously in reaction. Belle steadied her footing and turned to glance at Killian who had been leaning against the railing behind her. She noticed a look of amusement in his eyes and a whisper of a smile upon his lips.

"I know why they call it a crows-nest now; I feel like I'm flying." Belle laughed as she let her eyes close again and outstretched her arms, letting the wind lift up the fabric of her cloak.

"Aye, but just remember to not lean _too _far forward. I doubt flying is actually within your vast repertoire of talents."

Blinking her eyes open and looking downwards at the long fall below, Belle took a step backwards and away from the railing, bumping against Killian's side in the process.

The very first thing Belle had wanted to do upon stepping onto Killian Jones' ship (Captain Hook, she had to remember) was venture to the tallest point and look across the water. To imagine herself as a bird flying across the water to unknown places and discovering treasures, as she had so often did while she was still at her Father's house. Killian had of course warned her that it was quite high up and could be a very dangerous place to be with the waves crashing and causing the mast to sway precariously (an effect that was immediately amplified the minute she reached the nest itself), and so insisted on joining her - though Belle had discovered that indeed may have been too many for the small space, for both she and the Captain were nearly shoulder to shoulder up there.

"It's interesting that _this _was the first thing you wanted to do; Most want to see the wheel or even the many treasures we keep below deck."

"Pirate treasures?" Belle asked while giving Killian a sidelong look.

Sensing her intrigue Killian grinned and leaned closer to Belle so that their faces were only an inch apart,

"Below deck there is a trove of the most beautiful and dangerous treasures known to man my fair Lady."

"And you keep them all aboard your ship? Aren't you worried others will hear and try and take them?" Belle teased with a sly grin.

"What? Stealing from Pirates?" he scoffed in mock affront, "It takes a brave soul to dare to steal from the Jolly Roger. Most of the treasure we_… procure_," he emphasized with a flirtatious wink, "is immediately sold for supplies or whatever my crew desires while on shore leave. However the most precious, exotic, or magical I like to keep on board; keep it safe as it were."

"You remind me of a friend of mine." She replied with a fond smile as she thought about the room upon room of treasure of both the magical and ordinary stored within Rumple's castle.

Killian regarded her curiously for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.

"It's all part of the Pirate life. We travel the world, meet interesting people _and_ interesting women," He glanced at Belle appreciatively for a moment, "And we collect other men's treasures."

Something about the way his smile didn't quite meet his eyes when he turned back to regarding the horizon had Belle pausing in curiosity for a moment.

"Did you choose to be a Pirate, Captain?"

Killian blinked in surprise and stared at Belle for a moment before he let out a chuckle and turned so that his shoulder was leaning casually against the mast and his front was facing Belle.

"Why do you ask?"

"Curiosity."

Killian tilted his head and drew the nail of his thumb along his bottom lip as he contemplated her question. With a twist of his mouth Killian finally straightened up and gave Belle a quick smile,

"I suppose in a way the Pirate life chose me. Though I did start out as an honorable sailor in the King's Navy, which explains my impeccable manners."

He grinned knowingly with a playful wag of his brows, reminding Belle of the romantic heroes in the stories she and her sister's had read together.

_The Gallant Rogue was always Josette's favorite._ Belle thought with a grin which faded at the remembrance of her lost family.

"I had a brother once, Liam. A very fine and better man than myself. The King dispatched us on an errand – A noble errand Liam insisted – to find this mythical item which was intended to bring great power to the Kingdom."

"And did you find it?"

Killian raised a single dark eyebrow and shook his head slightly.

"A fool's errand for the King's righteous Navy it seemed. On our quest we hit a great storm and our ship split into two…"

He paused for a moment, his throat bobbing as he swallowed heavily. Belle's hand automatically shot out and landed upon his wrist and Killian's eyes flicked up to Belle's face when she gave his arm a gentle squeeze.

"I'm not sure what exactly happened to Liam. I am ashamed to say I was knocked unconscious during the chaos and awoke upon the deck of a foreign ship - The Jolly Roger. Rescued by Pirates, what were the odds?" Killian chuckled softly. "The Captain, your infamous Blackbeard, imprisoned me within the very bowels of this ship for a time until he decided what to do with me. At last, he offered me a job, and bitter as I was at losing my brother to the frivolous pursuit of magic fora King I had never been worthy enough to have even met, I of course acquiesced. Turns out I was very good at being a Pirate. Of course you must know a bit about our adventures afterwards from that book of yours." Killian nodded to where Belle's basket was safely sitting upon the deck of the ship below.

"Did you ever find out what happened to your brother?" she asked quietly and shivering as another gust of cold wind blew by.

"Never" was his swift reply before flashing a quick smile at Belle, "It was a long time ago, nearly 300 years…"

"Sometimes a loss like that is hard to forget." Belle interrupted with another sympathetic squeeze of Killian's hand before slowly pulling her hand away from his own. She knew exactly how he felt with the loss of her Mother as well as her recent loss of the life she knew.

"I really didn't mean to pry."

Belle began self-consciously while looking down at her feet, the sudden silence making her feel a bit uncomfortable. Rumple was always admonishing her for prying into his business and asking too many questions, though he was always good at indulging her curiosity eventually. She even suspected he enjoyed bragging about his trips and his treasures, and his cunning when it came to making royals jump through hoops of his design. Rumple was a great story teller, and she loved listening to him.

"Oh not at all my Lady, I haven't had a good heart to heart like this since…"

His eyes clouded over for a moment, as if recalling a distant memory and Belle raised her eyebrows in anticipation. Just as quickly as it arrived, the cloudiness dissolved from his face and he gave Belle a tentative smile.

"Well, since a long time ago. Shall we continue on our tour?"

He asked with a sudden brightness which surprised Belle, but she nodded all the same and let Killian help her down onto the roped ladder.

Once back on the hard wood planks of the deck, both Killian and Belle headed along the nearly empty ship toward a set of doors at the rear. Before they could make it, a short, round man skidded up the gangplank and ran up to the two of them, his face slightly red from his exertion and matching the loose red cap upon his head.

"Captain…"

The man stuttered out as he looked at Belle and nodded his head sheepishly at her in greeting before turning back to the slightly bemused Killian.

" , meet Verna. Verna, this is my first mate, ." Killian introduced with a quick gesture of his hand.

His blue eyes twinkled a bit in amusement at the blushing Smee as Belle shook his hand politely with a smile before Killian continued with a pat on the smaller mans shoulder,

" here is one of the best procurer's in the land. If you need something, he can find it; anywhere from precious and rare jewels to magic beans."

"Magic Beans?"

Belle inquired curiously and turning to look at . "As in Giants?" Belle vaguely remembered reading about giant lore in a book in her library at the Castle and how they used to harvest magic beans - though both the giants and the beans went nearly extinct a few centuries previous.

"As in magic portals, love. Though it was the giants that created these beans, so you're not entirely off on your information." Killian supplied, "These portals can take you anywhere you want to go, with many realms besides our own to choose one. Neverland, as I previously had mentioned, is one realm. Then there is Wonderland and Agrabah… I even heard rumor of a land without magic, if you can believe it."

"A land without magic? Sounds like back where I'm from…" Belle joked fondly. "Have you ever met a giant?"

Killian thought for a moment while Smee shrugged his shoulders quietly.

"I did get into a fight with this rather large bloke once, could've sworn he was a giant or at least a half breed. Nearly eight feet tall, the frightening bastard. Do you remember that, Smee?"

"I remember him nearly crushing your skull between his two hands, Captain."

Killian made a thoughtful sound and nodded his head.

"I probably shouldn't have insulted his mother like that…" Killian mused with a wicked grin while Smee and Belle chuckled.

"Anyway, Captain. There is a matter I wanted to discuss… about that erm… thing you were looking for." Smee murmured nervously to Killian while stealing a few glances Belle's way.

Getting the hint and deciding it was probably rude of her to eavesdrop, Belle slowly made her way around the decks and tried hard not let her curiosity consumer her, as Smee fervently whispered something to Killian.

Belle looked out over the side of the ship and toward the small harbor town and wondered what Rumplestiltskin was up to at that moment. She thought about the bookstore they had passed on the way to the crossroads and she grinned as a plan formed in her mind; a way to convince Rumple to maybe get a room at the tavern and stay in town a little longer so she could have time to spend inside the store. Maybe even purchase a few new books. Not that she didn't have a whole Library back home full of unknown adventures.

"Pardon my absence, just a bit of business I needed to deal with."

Killian's voice interrupted her daydream and Belle turned and smiled at the Captain, noticing that Mr. Smee was no longer in sight and it was only herself, Killian and a few deckhands on board – all of which seem to have not paid much attention to their new guest and instead were busy cleaning and organizing the ship.

"Do you plan on setting sail sometime soon?" she asked nodding toward the few crew members raising up newly strung and washed sails and swabbing the decks.

"Tomorrow morning is the plan, so long as the rest of my crew on shore leave aren't too under the weather by morning." Killian rolled his eyes playfully and gestured toward one of the two doors which appeared to lead below deck. "My secret pirate treasure awaits your inspection." Killian pulled open the door and nodded to Belle to lead the way.

A narrow set of oak steps lead down to a medium sized room which was surprisingly brighter and more spacious than she had anticipated, with the walls painted a light shade of cream with gold detailing. Several windows adorned the perimeter, separated by gold painted figurines with their arms crossed over their chests. These windows looked out onto the bay, letting in the delicious pink glow from the lowering sun. Belle noted the cot like bed shoved in the far corner of the room and a polished table which could seat at least six people comfortably, the surface covered mainly in letters, random objects, books and a plate of breads and fruits. With the exception of the golden figurines and faces of what Belle assumed were God's of the Sea's protruding from the beams holding up the ceiling (all with long gold painted beards and stern faces) the room was surprisingly simple in its decoration, the exact opposite of what she had expected of the 'Great Cabin' inside a Pirate ship. She had expected perhaps dark painted walls, golden candelabras with dripping ancient candles, a skull or two and perhaps a whole arson of weaponry and jewels haphazardly thrown about. But Killian Jones continued to surprise her with his congenial nature and clean, bright ship.

"Does it live up to your expectations, My Lady?" Killian said from somewhere behind Belle and she spun around.

"Not exactly. And I'm glad." She smirked gesturing around the expanse of the cabin, "It's a lot cleaner than I imagined, though I don't see much treasure here."

Killian laughed loudly, his face lighting up handsomely in the lowering light and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully,

"Yes well, I like to keep a tight ship. You should have seen the place before I became Captain – gaudy, dark, and full of useless crap just lying about with no real rhyme or reason. Frankly it was a health hazard. As for the treasure…"

Killian inclined his head to the right where a hallway lead deeper into the cabin behind the small staircase they had descended upon as well as a fully stocked bookshelf, and then raised his eyebrows teasingly. Belle let her excitement wash over her, and she led the way down the hallway into a room which was much darker than the Captains Quarters. Killian brushed past Belle and began to light the few sconces and lanterns along the sides of the darkened cabin. The yellow light slowly illuminating tables and shelves which were filled with all sorts of glistening treasure along with several chests which Belle guessed were probably filled with gold, making her gasp in delight. Unlike his living quarters, this room was stuffed full with items all messily arranged in piles upon the tables and shelves. It closely resembled one of Rumple's rooms of treasure in his castle, though on a much smaller scale.

Killian had made his way past a table which sat at the very center of the room - holding all sorts of maps, a compass and a letter opener next to a stack of letters - to a navy and gold painted cabinet secured to the far wall of the cabin. Unlatching the two doors, Killian revealed a cabinet filled with various bottles of wines and liquors in sparkling crystal and gilded decanters of varying ages and designs.

"Care for a drink?" he offered with a look over his shoulder and a sweeping of his hand toward the cabinet.

Belle shook her head absently as she leaned down to inspect an opened chest filled with jewel encrusted books and manuscripts with gilded lettering. Whipping her cloak out of the way and over her shoulder, she let her free hand sweep over the delicate bindings and vellum pages.

"These are beautiful…"

She murmured with reverence and gently lifting up a pocket sized book with the most beautiful and exotic cover she had ever seen. A single golden clasp in the shape of a snakes head held the book closed, its eyes holding two tiny emeralds which glittered in the lantern light. The script on the cover was like nothing she had ever seen and she studied it in fascination while flipping through the soft pages.

"That is a book of spells from Agrabah." Killian's voice travelled over to Belle from where he was standing, "Worth a fortune I was told, but I chose not to part with it. Not sure what sort of spells it contains and so I really would rather not let it into the wrong hands…"

The offer to have Rumplestiltskin take a look at the book and see what sorts of spells it contained barely escaped through her lips in excitement, but she quickly swallowed the idea down, unsure as to how Killian would react to that sort of proposition. Besides, Rumple was not the type to offer up information to a complete stranger, not without exacting a price. Belle mentally rolled her eyes at the thought and returned the book to its place. _All magic comes with a price_, he said over and over again. It was his failsafe whenever she asked the hard questions.

She was about to take a closer look at the maps on the table, curious to know which places Killian had been to in his travels (and perhaps hoping to be able to get a few stories out of him as well) when the glint of gold caught her eye and she froze where she was, staring at the small golden chest placed upon a single pedestal below an extravagantly gilded mirror.

This chest felt so familiar to her, like she had seen it somewhere before but she just couldn't place it.

It was not a large item but quite small with tarnished gold and silver plating woven upon a bed of painted ivory, with two golden clasps dotted with sapphires and rubies, holding the lid closed securely.

Images of magical creatures, dragons and what appeared to be fairies decorated the lid and the sides of the box as well. It was the images themselves that triggered something in Belle's memory and she slowly neared the pedestal and holding her breath in anticipation. As she got closer she could feel a slight change in the atmosphere, a familiar humming growing stronger and stronger as she neared. Whatever this chest was, it had a very strong magic.

She didn't dare touch the chest, but instead let her hands hover over top – whispering along the patterning and the images and suddenly she knew why it felt so familiar…

"This is the _Aercus Aeterni!" _Belle quietly exclaimed and her breath caught in her throat. The ark from her book, the one Blackbeard was retrieving from the sea witch's cave! It was real, all of it.

She wasn't quite sure why she was so surprised, as she was told that the ship she was on was the same from her stories, but she just assumed most of what she had read was myth and had no strong basis in reality, despite what Killian had been telling her.

"Ah, that. Yes, quite the beauty isn't it? Nearly died trying to find that blasted thing, Blackbeard was obsessed, and he never really said why…" Killian chuckled from his corner as he poured himself another glass of rum before reaching up to the top shelf of the cabinet and bringing down an octagon box of gold and ebony.

Belle turned back to the arc and bent down to get a closer look. The book Rumplestiltskin had given her did not go into great detail as to what the box really was, however she had been able to find a reference to the _Aercus Aterni_ in one of Ruplestiltskin's magic books which she had coincidentally brought with her on the journey.

"This ark is a very powerful magical item. It dates back to the creation of magic itself, and was once used as a tool to cast some of the worst curses imaginable!" Belle stopped her tale and looked over to Killian, a sudden worry entering into her head. "I know for a fact that many wizards and magic users would kill to get their hands on something this powerful,"_ especially Rumplestiltskin, _She thought to herself as she glanced briefly at the box. He had an obsessive need to collect every magical item in existence and she was sure he would be just as apt to want this, arguably the most powerful item in the world.

"Do you realize how dangerous it is to keep it on board your ship?"

Killian looked impressed as he downed his rum, his mouth turning up into a small smile.

"No need to worry. There is an ancient protection spell placed upon the ark; hides it from any and all magic users so that they can't ever find it. A sort of safety measure the Blue Fairy put in place when some wizard tried to use it to enact some sort of world destroying curse once upon a time. Or at least that's what Blackbeard had told me, though I didn't believe him at the time, still don't really. It's just a pretty box."

He replied nonchalantly. Belle was about to argue - as she could feel the power radiating from it - but he continued with a knowing smile.

"So far no wizard or goblins or whatever has bothered us, so if it is magic, then I suppose the spell worked. You know you're pretty knowledgeable, a rarity. Maybe I should be offering you a job My Lady. Smee may be a great procurer but he has no mind for research. I could use someone on board who actually knows the worth of the items we collect."

Belle couldn't help the flush creeping up her chest and onto her cheeks at Killian's remarks, momentarily forgetting her worry. It wasn't every day she was complemented on her knowledge, and she had to admit the idea would have been tempting, if she didn't already have other commitments.

_You mean your imprisonment by the Dark One. _Her mind supplied, to which Belle suppressed readily and instead grinned back at Killian.

"Me become a Pirate? What would my name be?" she asked, slightly surprised at her blatant flirting.

She was never one to flirt, and Killian was not exactly her type. But yet she couldn't help it, he was such a flirt himself, and of course she supposed she did the same with Rumplestiltskin time and again.

That thought made her pause, forgetting to listen to what Killian was saying. Did she flirt with Rumplestiltskin? She thought about the times when she sat close to him purposefully while he spun, when she pulled her arm through his elbow while they walked together down the castle steps or through the town that morning, and how she always came up with excuses to give him hugs. Just the week previous she surprised him with a quick hug while they were in the Library, all because he gave her a new book and she had wanted to give him a hug.

And the flower he gave her just the other night? In her slightly drunken stupor she even kissed his cheek! Belle's flush threatened to deepen and she prayed Killian didn't notice in the low light of the cabin.

"What about _Dirty Bess Rackham." _Killian teased with another charming grin.

Belle paused in her thoughts and stared at Killian before bursting out into laughter.

"Dirty Bess?" she chuckled with mock offence, her hands coming to plant on her hips. Though, she couldn't help the small smile on her face.

Killian laughed again and rubbed his chin in thought.

"Okay, okay. _Red Anne Flint _then.Flint is hard and sharp, like the pirate I know that lives inside you." He winked.

Belle nodded her head slowly, enjoying this little game of theirs and pushing aside her confused feelings for Rumplestiltskin.

"How did you get your name? Captain Hook?"

Killian let out a knowing _Ah _and continued to smirk.

"That's sort of a funny story actually. When I was conscripted onto this ship, I was a bit of a defiant little bugger. Always getting into small scraps with the other men." Killian leaned casually against the cupboard.

"I even got into a scrape with the Captain, to which I remember losing quite pathetically. Captain said I had a mean left hook and then promoted me to first mate. The name sort of stuck after that."

"You got into a fist fight with your Captain and he then named you his first mate?"

"Any man who stood up to Captain Blackbeard and lived deserved a little respect, he had said."

Killian shrugged and turned back toward the cupboard. Belle turned back to the aercus and then looked up into the small gilded mirror resting on the wall above. She was embarrassed to find that her hair was wildly out of place and windblown. Quickly she smoothed out her curls and straightened her dress, loving the opportunity to finally be able to see her reflection more carefully. Wiping a small spot of dirt from the corner of her nose, she turned away from the mirror and began scanning the table of maps and playing with a silver compass resting above a map of the northern mountains.

"You know I'm not surprised you know so much about magical things."

Belle sifted through the maps and came across a map of her home kingdom while listening to Killian behind her.

"Oh?"

She replied, grinning when she found the spot where her family's old estate was.

"Well, seeing as how you live at the Dark Castle with the Dark One and everything. Doesn't surprise me one bit."

Belle froze in place, her hand still hovering over her village.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." Belle agreed almost breathlessly, slowly licking her lips.

She could feel her heart pounding a little faster as she gradually turned her head to look over her shoulder at Killian who was busy replacing the cap back on his crystal decanter.

"Though, I'm surprised you even brought that up…" she continued slowly, willing her voice not to waver as her hand wove deftly around a gold letter opener sitting on the table, "For I don't believe I ever mentioned where I lived. Or to whom I was associated…"

She saw Killian's back stiffen slightly, the hand replacing his used cup pausing midair. Belle's lips parted as she tried to slow her breath and ease the nervous throbbing pulsating through her body.

She didn't say anything about where she lived, she didn't even give her real name. Belle's mind raced through the whole day, trying to remember if she ever mentioned Rumplestiltskin or the Dark Castle. No. Something was not right and Belle grasped the letter opener tightly while awaiting Killian's response.

Belle startled when Killian let out a breathless laugh, his hand returning to its movements and placing the cup securely back into its place, a leather buckle tightening around the thickness of the glass to keep it from falling while the ship was in movement.

"No, I don't suppose you did…"

Killian slowly turned around to face Belle, his friendly blue eyes suddenly not as welcoming as before and a nervous chill raced through her.

"Whoops."


End file.
